Immunological effects of induced shame and guilt
Abstract
Objective To determine if inducing self-blame would lead to increases in shame and guilt as well as increases in proinflammatory cytokine activity and cortisol. Based on previous research and theory, it was hypothesized that induced shame would be specifically associated with elevations in proinflammatory cytokine activity. Materials and methods Healthy participants were randomly assigned to write about traumatic experiences in which they blamed themselves (N = 31) or neutral experiences (N = 18) during three 20-minute experimental laboratory sessions over 1 week. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor levels (sTNFalphaRII), an indicator of proinflammatory cytokine activity, beta2-microglobulin, cortisol (all obtained from oral fluids), and emotion were assessed prewriting and postwriting. Results Participants in the self-blame condition showed an increase in shame and guilt as well as an increase in sTNFalphaRII activity when compared with those in the control condition. Cortisol and beta2-microglobulin levels were unaffected by the procedures. Those individuals in the self-blame condition reporting the greatest increases in shame in response to the task showed the greatest elevations in proinflammatory cytokine activity, while levels of guilt and general negative emotion were unrelated to cytokine changes. Conclusion These data suggest that inducing self-related emotions can cause changes in inflammatory products, and that shame may have specific immunological correlates.
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Writing about traumatic experiences involving self-blame triggers increases in a soluble receptor for TNFα (sTNF-RII) and higher levels of self-reported shame.
“writing about traumatic experiences involving self-blame, which has been found to trigger increases in a soluble receptor for TNFα (i.e., sTNF-RII), as well as higher levels of self-reported shame”
From From stress to inflammation and major depressive disorder: A social signal transduction theory of depression. (2014) · cites this paper as Dickerson, Kemeny, Aziz, Kim, & Fahey, 2004
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- Authors
- Dickerson, S. S., Kemeny, M. E., Aziz, N., Kim, K. H., & Fahey, J. L.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Corresponding author
- Dickerson, Sally S.
- Venue
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Published
- 2004-01
- Volume
- 66
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 124-131
- ISSN
- 0033-3174 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1974894193
- Cited by
- 245
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 21
- FWCI
- 11.12
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychosomatic Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH 00820)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Keywords
- shame, guilt, self-blame, inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor, cortisol, beta2-microglobulin, oral fluid biomarkers, emotion induction, traumatic events, negative emotions, psychoneuroimmunology
- MeSH terms
- Adult, beta 2-Microglobulin, Emotions, Female, Guilt, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Immunocompetence, Inflammation, Male, Plasma, Psychoneuroimmunology, Saliva, Shame, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha, Writing, Antigens, CD, Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II
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