Emotions and Immune Systems

An experiment done with the drama department at UCLA shows the effect of emotions on the immune system. All of the actors practiced method acting (recalling an experience from your past which hold the same emotions as the situation in the script). The experiment lasted a full day, during which time one group of actors performed using only happy memories, the other only sad.

The researchers took periodic blood samples from all the subjects, continually looking for immune “competence.” Those people who had been working with happy and uplifting scripts all day had healthy immune systems. Those people who had been working with depressing scripts all day showed a marked decrease in immune responsiveness.

So the next time you are feeling out of sorts, try "faking it" by thinking of a happier time. It's good for your health!

New Research in Neuroscience

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to take clear and detailed pictures of internal organs and tissues. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) applies this technology to chart blood flow to various parts of the brain.

fMRI has been held up as a breakthrough technology for better understanding brain function. Although the technology is still in the early phases of development, it paves the way for applications that until now have only been the stuff of science fiction. Recent examples include . . .

Researchers at the University of Sheffield in England believe that fMRI is more useful than polygraphs in determining whether someone is lying.

Research by neuroscientists at UCLA and Rutgers University provides evidence that fMRI can be used in certain circumstances to determine what a person is thinking.

Cambridge University researchers have discovered that whether someone is a “people-person” may depend on the structure of their brain: the greater the concentration of brain tissue in certain parts of the brain, the more likely they are to be warm and empathetic.

Scientists have discovered they can "read" whether a person just heard words spoken in anger, joy, relief, or sadness. The discovery, reported in Current Biology, is the first to show that emotions are represented by distinct spatial signatures in the brain that can be generalized across speakers.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have compiled the first-ever review of the neurobiology of wisdom - once the sole province of religion and philosophy.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania say they have brain images that prove male and female brains work differently under stress. Men responded with increased blood flow to the right prefrontal cortex, responsible for "fight or flight." Women had increased blood flow to the limbic system, which is associated with a more nurturing and friendly response.

Neuroleadership is the study of leadership through the lens of neuroscience. Soon we will have a neurological theory for the art of influencing people and for the “soft skills” of leadership.

I often get email responses to the articles I post on www.CKG.com. Here are a couple that came after I posted "Emotional Contagion" - an article that ended with this paragraph: "Each of us gives and responds to hundreds of facial expressions daily -- from co-workers’ grins to clenched-jaw displays around the conference table, Looked at another way, you are part of an emotional chain-reaction effect. Especially now, in challenging times, we need to make sure we’re part of the (positive emotion) solution, and not part of the problem."

Here's one . . .

Thanks for this article. I've known this for much of my career, but it's a great reminder. I remember seeing a biography on Dwight Eisenhower. His first major battle of WW2 was in North Africa. - He lost. In analyzing why, he came to the conclusion that he had let his worries, stresses and tensions about the plan of attack to be shown and adopted by his team. - He felt that was the key reason for the defeat.
From then on, for the rest of his life, he was always seen smiling, projecting a confident air, whenever in public, no matter what monumental issues and concerns he was addressing.

And another . . .

Excellent article, Carol, and one that brought back to mind a party game we were taught some 20 years ago. The game involved a simple test of strength in which the principle player held out his/her arm and then tried to resist having it pulled downward by an 'opponent' of roughly the same size, weight and strength. Just before the contest began, another player held up one of two sheets of paper showing a very simple drawn face - merely a large circle with two dots for eyes and a line for a mouth - for the principle player to look at while trying to keep his/her arm from being moved. The only difference between the two drawings was that the mouth curved upwards in one and downwards in the other. No matter which drawing the principle was shown first, the result was always the same - success while looking at the smiling mouth, failure while looking at the other. Not exactly scientific, but I did try it once on a scientist friend who is the world's biggest skeptic - and it worked on him just as well.

STRESS FOR SUCCESS

The pressures of business require the ability to manipulate daily stress levels. Many people thrive on stress, in manageable amounts. To these people, stress lends zest to life. “Eustress” is the term coined to label a positive level of stress that heightens productivity, creativity and enjoyment of life.

But relentless stress causes the body to respond as it does in an emergency, with a “freeze, flight or fight response.” As danger is perceived, the brain stimulates the kidneys to release two sets of hormones. The first, glucocorticoids, increase the level of fats, cholesterol, cortisone and sugar in the system, and these increase available energy levels to fight or flee a dangerous situation. The second, adrenaline, increases heart rate and consequently the body’s oxygen consumption.

As this psycho-physiological process continues, blood pressure rises and breathing becomes rapid and shallow. Blood is pumped to large muscles and away from smaller vessels; muscle tension increases, as does perspiration needed to cool the active body. Pupils dilate and the senses of hearing and smell become more acute. Brain waves elevate as attention and alertness increase.

When the danger has passed, the parasympathetic nervous system reverses the bodily effects to regain equilibrium -- homeostasis. As long as we only experience episodic stress -- those situations that are comprehensible, specific and infrequent -- we can rely on our bodies to discharge physical tension and automatically rebound in this manner.

Stress is basically a response, a flow of energy if you will. A certain amount of stress is necessary for top performance. (The only truly stress-free people are dead.) So, up to a point, stress increases motivation and productivity. When the stress level continues to rise above that point, however, it becomes distress and negative consequences begin to take effect. Ill effects of negative stress include high blood pressure, headaches, chronic muscle tension, and the general weakening of the immune system. When you are in this mode a great deal of the time your brain stops functioning well and your judgment is clouded. Chronic stress is also linked to short-term memory loss and poor decision-making. Change-adept achievers have learned how to manage stress levels -- to generate the right amount of eustress which for them assures optimal performance -- and to utilize stress-reduction techniques when they begin to go into stress overload.

Top employees may be getting restless.

According to Salary.com, 65 percent of employee respondents plan to look for a new job in the next three months. What’s more, the percentage of employees who describe themselves as "very likely" to leave their current job increased more than 50 percent in the past year, to 38 percent of employees, Salary.com reports.

Sure - employees may stay with you when times are tough. But as the economy picks up, watch them leave for greener pastures. This is especially true for top talent.

So do the best people want great pay or great working relationships?

The want both.

Insurer MetLife’s annual Employee Benefits Trend Study finds that employees’ top consideration when deciding to join or remain with an employer is "the quality of co-worker and/or customer relationships," followed by the opportunity for work/life balance and "working for an organization whose purpose/mission I agree with."

Compensation research firm Salary.com, meanwhile, finds that inadequate compensation is the top reason dissatisfied employees cite for leaving. No opportunity for advancement is second, followed by no recognition for work, according to the company’s 2005-2006 Employee Satisfaction and Retention Survey.