… THIS JUST IN… !
A positive attitude, strong social connections, and a healthy dose of laughter maybe more important than drugs in achieving optimum immunity…
In this article, I’ll be breaking down the 3 benefits of human interaction for optimizing your natural immune power that we can sometimes take for granted: Friendships, Intimacy, and Humor.
Friendships
Socializing is GREAT medicine!
Why?
Well, a recent study found that anti-social people have low immunity.
In fact, people who interact with three or few people at least once every 2-weeks are four times more likely to develop colds than those who interact with at least six people over the same time frame.
Social support from anyone… Including but not limited to spouses, children, parents, friends, and colleagues – will enhance your natural immune power. It’s not just the size of your social network that counts but also the quality of those relationships.
High-quality friendships, regardless – are important to natural immune power and general health as those relationships may encourage good behaviors such as eating, sleeping, exercising, and may buffer the stress response to negative events.
Bottom line social interaction is vital to optimal natural immune power.
The more friendships you have the stronger your natural immune power will be; that being said, if you’re content having a small number of close friends, you may be just as likely to reap the benefits of social connected-ness.
Intimacy
A solid relationship with your significant other – especially one full of love, affection, and occasional foreplay between the sheets – can positively affect your natural immune power.
… Couples in happy marriages have significantly higher levels of influenza (specific antibodies) than those in troubled marriages.
Research shows that a 15-minute discussion between couples about troublesome issues can cause surges in blood pressure and heart rate but will increase the production of infection-fighting white blood cells.
Sexual intercourse in a loving relationship will have natural immune power enhancing effects.
For example, couples who engage in sex once or twice a week have significantly higher levels of IgA (antibody that protects you from harmful infections) than those who have sex less frequently.
Humor
Humor is a uniting force – it’s the glue that binds us, lightens our burdens, and helps us maintain a positive outlook on our problems.
… And humor is good for our overall health as it helps lower blood pressure and protects against heart health problems.
A recent study found that preschoolers laugh about 300 times a day; grown-ups, just 17, on average.
So… Why aren’t adults laughing more?
I mean laughter has a real, measurable effect on natural immune power.
Because it unleashes a cascade of immune cells – including Natural Killer, B, and T cells – that fight infection and immune disorders. It also increases production of gamma-interferon, a germ-fighting protein, while reducing production of stress hormones.
In conclusion, a positive emotional style will enhance your natural immune power, while a negative emotional style can damage your natural immune power.
… Hence- when you’re not happy, your immune system isn’t happy, either.
So…
Stay HAPPY my friend! – ‘smile’…