Unhealthy lifestyle choices, like smoking and avoiding exercise, are known risk factors for certain cancers and cardiovascular disease.
A growing body of research reveals that these risk factors and a lack of supportive social connections can also increase the risk of developing respiratory infections, like the common cold and influenza.
In a new study, researchers explored how lifestyle, social, and psychological factors also may increase the risk of contracting COVID-19.
The research was conducted by a team at Carnegie Mellon University.
Through a series of studies spanning more than 30 years, the team examined how lifestyle, social, and psychological factors affect whether or not healthy adults exposed to respiratory viruses become ill.
This work focused on eight viral strains that cause the common cold and two that cause influenza.
In the study, the team intentionally exposed people to cold and influenza viruses and studied whether psychological and social factors predict how effective the immune system is in suppressing infection, or preventing or mitigating the severity of illness.
They found a strong correlation between social and psychological stressors and increased susceptibility.
Intriguingly, the researchers also found that social integration and social support offer a protective shield against respiratory infection and illness.
Until now, the only tactics to slow the spread of coronavirus have been behavioral changes that reduce the probability of being exposed to the virus, such as stay-at-home measures and social-distancing requirements.
These same behaviors, however, are often linked to interpersonal stressors, like loneliness, loss of employment, and familial conflict.
According to the researchers, these stressors may be powerful predictors of how a person will respond if exposed to coronavirus because of the stressors’ direct physiological effects on immunity and their psychological factors, which are thought to have their influence through the mind-body connection.
The study demonstrates that psychological and social stressors are linked to an overproduction of pro-inflammatory chemicals known as cytokines in response to cold and influenza viruses.
In turn, this excess of inflammation was linked to an increased risk of becoming ill.
Similarly, research on COVID-19 has shown that producing an excess of proinflammatory cytokines is associated with more severe COVID-19 infections, suggesting that a stress-triggered excessive cytokine response might also contribute to excessive inflammation and symptoms in COVID-19 patients.
One author of the study is Sheldon Cohen, a professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University.
The study is published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science.
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