Genes Get Lonely Too
A study out this week suggests that loneliness actually changes how the body functions at a molecular level. The research links feelings of social isolation to an alteration in the activity of specific genes—ones that put lonely people at higher risk for serious disease. And the study also points to the startling fact that it is the perception of loneliness that triggers the adverse health conditions, independent of how much social interaction an individual actually has.
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Social regulation of gene expression in human leukocytes
Genome Biology 2007, 8:R189
Posted by on 09/15 at 11:41 AM
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