05/10/2025
Our emotions affect our biology, but not just ours.
In Israel, scientists conducted a remarkable study. A single drop of a participant’s blood was placed under a microscope and projected on a screen. What they saw was captivating: bacteria slowly moving around… and macrophages — the “clean-up crew” of the blood — just lying dormant.
The bacteria were wandering freely, as if on a peaceful evening stroll. The macrophages? Fast asleep, ignoring their job entirely.
Then something unexpected happened. The participant was shown a funny movie — and as their mood lifted, the macrophages suddenly “woke up.” One of them rolled over to a nearby bacterium and started devouring it with real enthusiasm.
This wasn’t lunch time. This was science.
🧠 Our mood directly influences our immune cells.
Here’s the twist: the blood sample had been separated from the participant and was in a different room. Somehow, the change in the participant’s emotional state affected the blood at a distance.
When researchers switched to horror film clips, the opposite happened. The bacteria became energized, multiplied rapidly, and even started attacking the macrophages, forcing them to retreat.
👉 The state of our consciousness plays a critical role in maintaining our inner ecosystem.
And it doesn’t stop with us. Since our relatives share our bloodline, our emotional states can influence their immune systems too — even across continents. This is what some call “family immunity.”
A watchmaker once shared a story: whenever his left index finger would start twitching — making his delicate work impossible — he wouldn’t massage it or take supplements. He’d call his mother, thousands of kilometers away, and say:
“Mom, you’re worrying again! Stop it — I can’t work like this!”
Even mild maternal anxiety was enough to affect his physiology.
🌿 The takeaway:
The old saying “It’s my life, I’ll do what I want” is outdated. Our mental state impacts not just our health, but the well-being of those we love.
So, find ways to cultivate joy, laughter, and inner harmony — not just for yourself, but for your entire “immune tribe.”
PS: This reminds us of Norman Cousins, who famously healed from a terminal illness through laughter. His story, told in “Anatomy of an Illness” (1976), showed that positive emotions can activate the body’s healing systems. Turns out, “Laughter is the best medicine” isn’t just a saying — it’s physiology.
