Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University.
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.
Health Psychol. 2018 Nov;37(11):1077-1080. doi: 10.1037/hea0000675. Epub 2018 Sep 17.
Dispositional optimism, a personality trait predisposing individuals to positive expectations, has been suggested to promote better health. However, little is known about the biological mechanism of the salubrious health effects of optimism. We hypothesized that by diminishing a sense of threat to the self, optimism will be associated with a healthier profile of gene expression in immune cells. Specifically, the "conserved transcriptional response to adversity" (CTRA) is activated by fight-or-flight stress responses and results in increased transcription of genes involved in inflammation and decreased transcription of genes involved in antiviral defense. In a sample of 114 male Japanese workers, we found that optimism was inversely linked to CTRA after controlling for demographic variables, health-risk factors, and indices of well-being. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that reduced activity of threat-related gene expression programs may contribute to the health effects associated with optimism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
性格乐观，即个体倾向于积极预期的一种人格特质，被认为能促进健康。然而，乐观对健康的有益影响的生物学机制仍知之甚少。我们假设，通过减少对自身的威胁感，乐观与免疫细胞中更健康的基因表达谱相关联。具体而言，“逆境的保守转录反应”（CTRA）被战斗或逃跑应激反应激活，导致参与炎症的基因转录增加，而参与抗病毒防御的基因转录减少。在 114 名日本男性工人的样本中，我们发现，在控制人口统计学变量、健康风险因素和幸福感指数后，乐观与 CTRA 呈负相关。这些结果与假设一致，即与威胁相关的基因表达程序的活性降低可能有助于解释乐观与健康之间的关系。（APA，保留所有权利）。
