Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Feb 7;109(6):1878-82.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1120972109. Epub 2012 Jan 23.

Negative and competitive social interactions are related to heightened proinflammatory cytokine activity

Jessica J Chiang  1 , Naomi I Eisenberger, Teresa E Seeman, Shelley E Taylor
Affiliations

Negative and competitive social interactions are related to heightened proinflammatory cytokine activity

Jessica J Chiang et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .

Abstract

Research has consistently documented that social relationships influence physical health, a link that may implicate systemic inflammation. We examined whether daily social interactions predict levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and the soluble receptor for tumor necrosis factor-α (sTNFαRII) and their reactivity to a social stressor. One-hundred twenty-two healthy young adults completed daily diaries for 8 d that assessed positive, negative, and competitive social interactions. Participants then engaged in laboratory stress challenges, and IL-6 and sTNFαRII were collected at baseline and at 25- and 80-min poststressor, from oral mucosal transudate. Negative social interactions predicted elevated sTNFαRII at baseline, and IL-6 and sTNFαRII 25-min poststressor, as well as total output of sTNFαRII. Competitive social interactions predicted elevated baseline levels of IL-6 and sTNFαRII and total output of both cytokines. These findings suggest that daily social interactions that are negative and competitive are associated prospectively with heightened proinflammatory cytokine activity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. House JS, Landis KR, Umberson D. Social relationships and health. Science. 1988;241:540–545. - PubMed
    1. Cohen S. Social relationships and health. Am Psychol. 2004;59:676–684. - PubMed
    1. Berkman LF, Syme SL. Social networks, host resistance, and mortality: A nine-year follow-up study of Alameda County residents. Am J Epidemiol. 1979;109:186–204. - PubMed
    1. Kaplan GA, et al. Social connections and mortality from all causes and from cardiovascular disease: Prospective evidence form eastern Finland. Am J Epidemiol. 1988;128:307–380. - PubMed
    1. Cohen S, Doyle WJ, Skoner DP, Rabin BS, Gwaltney JM., Jr Social ties and susceptibility to the common cold. JAMA. 1997;277:1940–1944. - PubMed

Publication types