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. 2013 Nov:34:79-85.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2013.07.173. Epub 2013 Jul 31.

Negative emotions predict elevated interleukin-6 in the United States but not in Japan

Yuri Miyamoto  1 , Jennifer Morozink Boylan, Christopher L Coe, Katherine B Curhan, Cynthia S Levine, Hazel Rose Markus, Jiyoung Park, Shinobu Kitayama, Norito Kawakami, Mayumi Karasawa, Gayle D Love, Carol D Ryff
Affiliations

Negative emotions predict elevated interleukin-6 in the United States but not in Japan

Yuri Miyamoto et al. Brain Behav Immun. 2013 Nov.

Abstract

Previous studies conducted in Western cultures have shown that negative emotions predict higher levels of pro-inflammatory biomarkers, specifically interleukin-6 (IL-6). This link between negative emotions and IL-6 may be specific to Western cultures where negative emotions are perceived to be problematic and thus may not extend to Eastern cultures where negative emotions are seen as acceptable and normal. Using samples of 1044 American and 382 Japanese middle-aged and older adults, we investigated whether the relationship between negative emotions and IL-6 varies by cultural context. Negative emotions predicted higher IL-6 among American adults, whereas no association was evident among Japanese adults. Furthermore, the interaction between culture and negative emotions remained even after controlling for demographic variables, psychological factors (positive emotions, neuroticism, extraversion), health behaviors (smoking status, alcohol consumption), and health status (chronic conditions, BMI). These findings highlight the role of cultural context in shaping how negative emotions affect inflammatory physiology and underscore the importance of cultural ideas and practices relevant to negative emotions for understanding of the interplay between psychology, physiology, and health.

Keywords: Culture; Inflammation; Interleukin-6; Negative emotion.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Cultural moderation of the association between negative emotions and IL-6 after controlling for gender, age, and years of education, positive emotions, neuroticism, extraversion, smoking status, alcohol consumption, the number of chronic conditions linked to inflammation, and log-transformed BMI (Model 5). Negative emotions predicted IL-6 in the United States, b = 0.06, S.E. = 0.02, t(1363) = 2.68, p = .001, but not in Japan, b = 0.01, S.E. = 0.03, t(1363) = 0.35, p = .73.
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