by Vicki Niedzielska

Created on: August 26, 2008

I clearly remember one of the very first lectures I attended in psychology. I think we all have a general sense that a healthy body and mind are linked, but this lecture presented such simple evidence that I was really blown away. My lecturer presented the study conducted by Cohen et al (1991), which took nearly 400 healthy people, assessed their stress levels, and then exposed them to respiratory viruses. The results were clear. Those people with high stress got sick. Those with little or no stress fought off the virus and did not fall ill. You couldn't get much simpler or direct evidence that the state of your mind has a direct and considerable effect on the state of your body.

Looking further into the relationship between emotion and illness it is possible to see numerous examples of the emotional state affecting the physical. You could quite literally write a whole book on this subject, so this article aims to serve as a brief introduction rather than an attempt to cover everything!

Firstly, let us consider the difference between psychogenic illness and somatogenic illness. Somatogenic illness is one in which the emotional disturbance or trauma has made the body more susceptible to physical threats, such as microbial infections or degenerative processes. Psychogenic illness is not caused by any other agents such as bacteria, but rather results when the emotional trauma is so severe that the other bodily systems begin to shut down.
Somatogenic illnesses include ulcers, high blood pressure, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Experiencing stress can cause the body to release norepinephrine and cortisol, repeating this time again as a response to ongoing emotional trauma leaves the immune system weakened and compromised, and thus more vulnerable to the onslaught of passing bacteria or viruses. A person with too much norepinephrine in his system will experience dizzy spells, shortness of breath, sweating and increased heart rate. The elevated norepinephrine levels contribute to the formation of peptic ulcers by stimulating continual constriction of the stomach lining, restricting the production of the mucous barrier which protects the stomach, and allowing it to be attacked by the stomach acids. Similarly, depression can cause low serotonin in the body, which results in physical symptoms of extreme fatigue, sleep problems, and other physical disturbances which usually require medical intervention.

Research in Japan found that participants categorized as having high stress

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