Face-To-Face contact linked to biological changes in Humans      

Face-To-Face contact linked to biological changes in Humans
February 2009
by Dr. Aric Sigman (Institute of Biology, iob.org)

Social isolation is actually linked to global alterations in human gene
transcription in the small white blood cells (leukocytes) of the human immune system.

Type 1 interferon response, impaired transcription in genes central to mounting antiinflammatory reaction to illness or stress, increased activity in transcription control that promotes inflammation in disease and stress. This may account for the greater risk of inflammatory disease and adverse health outcomes in people who experience higher levels of subjective social isolation.

Natural Killer (NK) cells fight infection, adapt to intruders and are found in immune cells that infiltrate tumours. NK cells are significantly more effective and aggressive in people with more social support. A similar phenomenon is now observed in NKT cells, a rare group of small white blood cells exhibiting anti-tumour activity.

Women with suspected Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) with smaller social
circles have been found to have significantly narrower arteries when compared to those with a larger social circle.

face-to-face interaction, such as touching, hugging and feelings of trust, result in the release of the neuropeptide oxytocin, which has recently been
found to prevent detrimental heart function and may explain the relationship between social contact and reduced cardiovascular disease.

Women with fewer social relationships suffer strokes at more than twice the rate of those with more social relationships loneliness, being in a relationship and number of close friends all influence blood pressure.

people with the most types of social bonds are the least susceptible, while those with one to three types of social relationships are over four times more likely to develop a cold when exposed to the virus than those with six or more types.

The mere existence of social ties is associated with positive immune response to influenza vaccine, while a small social network is linked with poorer immune response.

The frequency of social interaction is inversely related to the incidence of dementia and may protect against dementia and memory loss.

The amount of regular social contact is positively related to cognitive
functioning in a variety of age groups. Only 10 minutes of social interaction is found to improve cognitive performance equally as well as so-called intellectual activities. Social interaction directly affects memory and mental performance in a positive way.

People living alone experience a significantly increased mortality compared to people living with somebody, married or not.

In middle-aged men, there is a strong protective effect of marriage that
actually occurs in a dose-dependent manner. By simply adding together the periods of time a man was married, the protective effects are seen as cumulative, as are the harmful effects of years being divorced. This cumulative effect is handed down from father to son, continuing to affect the rate of early death in subsequent generations.

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For the first time in our history a third of the adults in this country live alone, a trend that looks set to continue and is now highly pronounced in the age group 25 to 44.”

Time that was previously spent interacting socially is increasingly been displaced by the virtual variety. Children now spend more time in the family home alone in front of TV/computer screens than doing anything else: twenty five per cent of British five-year olds own a computer or laptop of
their own.

Couples now spend less time in one another’s company and more time at work, commuting, or in the same house but in separate rooms using different electronic media devices.”

It is clear that this is a growing public health issue for all industrialised countries. Children are now experiencing less social interaction and have fewer social connections during key stages of their physiological, emotional and social development. An increasing proportion of men and women are living alone during their ‘mating years’ having far fewer social contacts.

Global alterations in human gene transcription, immune system cytokines and Natural Killer (NK) cells, narrowing of major arteries, incidence of stroke, early death, high blood pressure, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and even the common cold, can all be linked to changes in our social patterns.