Does inflammation influence positive moments of social connection?

What is it about?

Emerging research suggests that inflammation in the body may influence our social experiences in daily life. In this study, we looked at whether mildly elevated levels of inflammation, such as when experiencing stress or minor illness, is related to our expectations and our actual experiences of positive moments of connection with either a close other or a stranger. Fifty-five young, healthy adults gave blood samples before and after receiving a flu shot, which temporarily raises inflammation. They reported how positive they expected to feel when connecting with a close other, and seperately, a stranger, later that day. They also reported on their actual social interactions eight times across three days. People who had higher levels of inflammation expected to have more positive interactions with strangers, yet in real life, reported having less positive connections, compared to people with lower levels of inflammation. With close others, however, higher inflammation was related to having more interactions with close others and greater ease imagining interacting with a close other. This research suggests inflammation may shape social experiences in different ways, depending on what we expect, what we experience and whether we are close to someone or not.

Featured Image

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Loneliness is increasingly recognized as a major public health concern. Here, we show that even mild levels of inflammation may influence how connected people expect to feel and actually feel, particularly with people they don't know well. If inflammation leads to a mismatch in our expectations and experiences, social interactions may feel less rewarding and potentially discourage people from seeking out new social connections.