May 2, 2010

Misery in the Genes

A professor finds DNA that can turn emotional stress into physical illness

Misery in the Genes: How DNA Turns Stress Into Illness 1

Noah Berger for The Chronicle

The research done by Steven W. Cole demonstrates the increasing sophistication of psychoneuroimmunology, the study of connections between mind and health.

By Helen Fields

Misery isn't just depressing, it's bad for your health. People going through stressful events, like divorce, are more likely to get sick. People who are HIV-positive see their condition worsen more quickly if they don't have good social support. But nobody knows exactly how mental stress causes illness and death.

Now a study by researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles and several other institutions has come up with an actual biological pathway: a chain of molecules

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