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Everyone has days or times when you feel uninterested in meeting and interacting with other people. This reluctance to socialize can occur both in people who have introverted or even extroverted personalities. Sometimes, this condition can appear without you knowing why. If someone asks, maybe the answer you give is, "Just being lazy."
Researchers are trying to find answers to this seemingly sudden reluctance. Unexpectedly, your immune system or immune system can actually be one of the causes. When your immune system weakens, you may become more withdrawn from your surroundings. To find out how the relationship between the immune system and your social tendencies, consider the full explanation below.
Understanding the immune system
Besides the human nervous system, the immune system is one of the most complicated mechanisms in your body. The human immune system consists of millions of organs, cells, and proteins whose job is to protect the body against pathogens both from outside and from within your own body. The pathogen in question is an organism or virus that can cause disease.
In the past, experts thought that the brain was a special organ separate from the rest of the body. This means that the immune system or the immune system is not in charge of protecting the brain. The brain is considered to have its own protection in the form of vessel networks that will ward off various disorders in this organ.
In fact, recent research has shown that the immune system is closely related to the brain. The central nervous system, which is located in the brain, is known to have a lymphatic system containing lymph vessels. In these lymph vessels, immune cells are found. From this discovery, scientists also studied how the immune system affects the work of the brain and a person's behavior patterns.
Immune system and social tendencies
In a study conducted by nervous system experts at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the University of Virginia, it was stated that a person's desire or tendency to socialize may be influenced by the immune system in the central nervous system. This research was conducted through a laboratory test on mice.
To fight pathogens, lymph cells will release a protein molecule that makes up the immune system called interferon gamma. To test the effect of this molecule on the behavior patterns of mice, the researchers clogged the interferon gamma protein channel. When clogged, the mice that were the subject of the study showed hyperactive behavior and became uninterested in socializing or joining the other rats. When the researchers reopened the channel, the mice returned to their normal behavior and were willing to socialize again.
What about humans?
Currently, there are no studies that study the immune system and its impact on a person's social tendencies. However, neuroscientists around the world have managed to see the similarities between the brain structure of mice and humans. In addition, the researchers who published their study in the international journal Nature argue that like mice, humans are social creatures. To survive, humans need to socialize. This is why the body develops its own defenses that can ward off the transmission of viruses, bacteria, and diseases that other people may carry.
As reported by MNN, Jonathan Kipnis as one of the heads of this research revealed that the human body is always a battleground between pathogens and the immune system. So, part of your personality could be affected by the immune system.
Moreover, various nervous system disorders that cause problems with social patterns such as autism, dementia, and schizophrenia do indicate a weak immune system in the sufferer's body. There are also many studies that have proven that a person's happiness is very dependent on his overall health condition. This means, it can be concluded that the behavior patterns (including social tendencies) which are regulated by the central nervous system in the brain are closely related to a person's immune system.
