Psychoneuroimmunology examined: The role of subjective stress.

Interest in the interplay between mind and body is deep-rooted. Written accounts in Western society are found as far back as the second century, when the physician Galen remarked that cancer seemed to occur more frequently in melancholic (depressed) than sanguine (happy, spirited) women [1]. In traditional Eastern medicine, mind and body have been considered entwined for centuries, and this attitude continues to today (see [2] for an overview). Relative to these examples, it is only recently that scientific inquiry has taken an interest in the mindbody connection. The past three decades have witnessed an explosion of discoveries in this area, and we have seen psychological factors related to physical ailments from asthma to heart disease [3–9]. The present review focuses on just one aspect of mindbody interaction, but one with far-reaching effects. We review evidence for the relationship between psychological stress and immune function. Using a conceptual model, we review psychological, behavioral, and physiological responses to stressful events before entering into a more in-depth discussion of the potential role of subjective experiences of stress.