Study Supports Power of Positive Thinking

While medical science remains skeptical about the power of positive thinking and its ability to thwart disease, a new study lends scientific credence to the widely held notion, The New York Times reports.

Activation of certain brain regions associated with negative emotions appears to weaken a person's immune response, University of Wisconsin researchers conclude.

The scientists measured subjects' responses to the common flu vaccine, noting that electrical activity in the brain's right prefrontal cortex -- active during emotions involving anger, fear and sadness -- weakened the immune response to the vaccine.

By contrast, greater activation in the left prefrontal cortex -- more active in feelings linked to enthusiasm and optimism -- was associated with stronger immune responses.

Lead author Dr. Richard Davidson says stress appears to interfere with the brain's ability to communicate with certain types of immune cells. The right prefrontal cortex appears to interact with the body's stress system, he says, which in turn is linked to the immune system, the Times reports.

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