Seeing sick people fires up your immune system

CC-licensed photo "Sneezing Man" by Mike Gifford

New research suggests that even just looking at people who are sick kicks out immune system into action. University of British Columbia scientists showed a series of images of people holding guns or photos of obviously sick folks. After the slide show, the researchers measured the levels of interlukin-6, a protein secreted by white blood cells to stimulate the immune response to trauma. From Scientific American:

Although the subjects rated the gun photographs as being more stressful than the illness images, the blood work told a different story. Whereas the gun images prompted a mere 7 percent increase in IL-6, levels of the substance were elevated 24 percent after viewing pictures of sick people.

“It makes evolutionary sense that the immune system would respond aggressively only when it’s really needed,” says Mark Schaller, a psychologist and co-author of the study.

"Natural Immunity: What Happens When We Simply See a Sick Person"

• [Ant]

  For me, I feel sick when seeing/knowing sick people.

• [Donald Petersen]

  I have that selfsame Kleenex box on my desk at work. That reminds me… it ran empty last week. So now I leave for work with a refill box tucked under my arm.

  Thanks!

• [TheMadLibrarian]

  So does this only work with live sick people, or will your immune system get the necessary boost by simply watching an episode of House?

• [zikman]

  I thought we already knew this. I took an immunology course a year or so ago and I’m pretty sure I remember the instructor talking about this. or me reading it somewhere before a while ago.

  interesting fact nonetheless.

• [SamSam]

  This was posted here a few months ago with almost the same title. ;)

  Looking at photos of sick people boosts your immune system

  • [David Pescovitz]

    Ha! Added the link. Thanks!

• [Anonymous]

  So seeing sick people or extension violence in movies can give us arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other auto-immune diseases?

• [cleek]

  i’m a little surprised this is news. i noticed a long time ago that if i get near someone sick, i can almost immediately feel the histamine response start up in my eyes, nose and throat. at first i thought i was getting sick, then it dawned on me that the histamine response is really a defensive action, not merely a symptom of infection – it’s trying to flush out any infections before they have a chance to get going.

• [gwailo_joe]

  I also own this box as a result of a white elephant. I cannot bring myself to use it. Moai snot Kleenex for my own nose. . .nope. not gonna happen.

  • [Donald Petersen]

    It’s handy for cutting down the number of people who snitch a couple Kleenices on their way past your desk. Some people love it, but others share your reaction and go find their own snotrags.

• [Thad E Ginataom]

  Yes to the tissue box.

  It would make me almost want to have a cold!

  • [Donald Petersen]

    Rudy the Tikihead, from Retro 51, Inc. Available at Amazon and many other emporia. Somewhere between $14.95 and $25.