The psychological effects of isolation on immunity

 Having explored the physical aspects of immunity, we now turn our focus to the psychological effects.

Although adults and older children can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their immune systems will remember how to fight off microbes, there is another piece of this puzzle to consider: stress.

Researchers Fulvio D’Acquisto and Alice Hamilton, who published a review in the journal Cardiovascular ResearchTrusted Source, note that while physical distancing “minimizes the spread of COVID-19, such social isolation has the potential to affect the cardiovascular and immune systems.”

They point to previous animal studies that researchers conducted in socially isolated mice, primates, and other species.

They write: “Of note, high levels of inflammation are a driver for [cardiovascular disease]. Social isolation was linked to downregulation of type I and II interferons and an impaired response to infection by simian immunodeficiency virus.”

They note that in the wake of social isolation, it is the emotional rather than the physical separation that is the triggering factor in the body’s reduced ability to respond to adversity.

The authors add:

“As the period of time in lockdown and social distancing increases, distress and loneliness will increase; thus, it is likely that the aforementioned changes in the immune system would become more pronounced over time.”

Researchers have also observed such effects in humans.

According to a paper by Stanford researcher Firdaus S. Dhabhar, Ph.D., in the journal Immunologic Research, “chronic stress can suppress protective immune responses and/or exacerbate pathological immune responses.”

For adults, it is the stress of isolation and the pandemic, rather than the lack of interaction with microbes, that is a concern for the immune system.