Psychoneuroimmunology Defined as the study of the interactions between beliefs, behavioral states, the nervous system, and the immune system. Superimmunity can be defined as the capacity to think and feel in ways that can protect us from disease, heal us, and allow us to attain wellness. We now know that feelings, thoughts, and beliefs can lead to increased or decreased disease susceptibility. Research subjects trained to smile showed increased levels of endorphins. Students watching a film showing sexual love have increased salivary IgA levels.
Exam stress impairs the function of natural killer cells in humans.
The lymphocyte response to mitogens becomes sluggish in a person who has lost a spouse, and the death rate for widows and widowers in the first year is ten times that of matched controls. A Harvard Alumni Study has shown that mental health is the most important determinant of physical health. The speed of healing of surgical wounds in the immediate post-operative period is much more rapid in patients who showed faith, trust, and confidence in their doctors, their nurses, and themselves. Patients who are more assertive in the hospital heal faster. Patients recover more quickly in hospital rooms with a view of trees and bushes.