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Cited by 35Psychological Well-being and Life SatisfactionTryptophan and brain disordersStress Responses and Cortisol

Happiness and Inflammatory Responses to Acute Stress in People With Type 2 Diabetes

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Panagi, Laura, Poole, Lydia, Hackett, Ruth A, Steptoe, Andrew·2019·Annals of Behavioral Medicine
DOI 10.1093/abm/kay039PMC PMC6426003
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Positive psychological characteristics in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are associated with better health and longevity, and one plausible physiological mechanism involves lower markers of inflammation. Positive affect is related to lower basal inflammatory markers and smaller inflammatory responses to acute stress, but this association in people with T2D remains to be examined. PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between happiness and inflammatory markers at baseline and in response to acute stress in people with T2D. METHODS: One hundred forty people with T2D took part in laboratory-based stress testing. We aggregated daily happiness ratings over 7 days before stress testing. During the laboratory session, participants underwent two mental stress tasks-the mirror tracing and the Stroop task. Blood was sampled at baseline and post-stress (up to 75 min post-stress) to detect plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). Associations between happiness and inflammatory markers and responses were analyzed using multivariable linear regressions. RESULTS: Greater daily happiness significantly predicted lower baseline and post-stress IL-6 concentrations, and lower baseline MCP-1, after adjusting for covariates. The association between happiness and reduced basal IL-6 maintained after further controlling for daily sadness. We did not find significant associations between daily happiness and inflammatory responses to acute stress. No associations were detected for IL-1Ra. CONCLUSIONS: Happier individuals with T2D have lower inflammatory markers before and after acute stress, albeit independent of stress responsivity. Findings could provide a protective physiological pathway linking daily happiness with better health in people with T2D.

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Authors
Panagi, L., Poole, L., Hackett, R. A., & Steptoe, A.
Affiliations
University College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Panagi, Laura
ORCID
Venue
Annals of Behavioral Medicine
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2018-06-18
Volume
53
Issue
4
Pages
309-320
ISSN
  • 0742-5554 (ISSN-L)
  • 0883-6612
  • 1532-4796
DOI
10.1093/abm/kay039
PMC
PMC6426003
OpenAlex
W2808980563
Cited by
35
References
18
Citations by year
2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 4
FWCI
5.08
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Annals of Behavioral Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • A.G. Leventis Foundation
  • British Heart Foundation (RG/10/005/28296)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
Keywords
happiness, type 2 diabetes, acute stress, inflammation, interleukin-6, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, MCP-1, positive affect, stress responsivity, psychological well-being
MeSH terms
Aged, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Female, Happiness, Humans, Inflammation, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Personality, Stress, Psychological, Biomarkers, Interleukin-6, Chemokine CCL2, Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein

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