As the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out begins here in earnest, there is extra reason to be happy.

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The COVID-19 vaccine rollout has begun here in earnest, and the release of findings from a variety of studies into how to boost a vaccine’s effectiveness is timely. 

It seems we may be able to boost the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine for ourselves, and there are things we can do to help others.

A study as far back as 2006 confirmed that a cheerful outlook, along with other personality traits and the kind of social interactions we have, can enhance how our bodies react to immunisations.

In what was one of the first studies of its kind, psychologists at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania found that people who described themselves as energetic, cheerful or relaxed produced a 73 percent greater antibody response to vaccination against the virally transmitted disease hepatitis B than those who regarded themselves as more nervous, tense or angry.

More recently, further studies have expanded our understanding of the impact that these so-called ‘soft drivers’ of immunity can have.

Being in love can boost your antibodies, researchers have found.

Even your mood on the day of your vaccination can have an effect. A study of 138 older people found those who were in a positive state of mind on the day they received their flu shot were better protected by the vaccine 16 weeks later than those who were less upbeat.

The study examined a number of other factors that might have had an influence, such as sleep and physical activity, but none of these had any significant effect.

Social connections can also influence how well our bodies respond to a vaccine.

In one experiment, 83 students receiving a flu shot were asked to name up to 20 people they knew well and were in contact with at least once a month. At check-ups one month and then four months later, those who had listed fewer than 13 friends had produced significantly fewer antibodies to the influenza virus.

Similar effects were found in a second study. Students reacted better to the hepatitis B vaccine if they felt they had someone who listened to them when they needed to talk or who could help them if they were confined to bed.

Being in love is also good for vaccines. One study by a team at the University of Birmingham in the UK found that older people who were happily living with a partner had a 10 percent boost in antibodies after a flu vaccination compared to those who were single or unhappy in their relationship.

The link between our emotions and the immune system is well known in the scientific world, and makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. 

Our immune systems evolved to have two basic settings, which we could term an antiviral one and an antibacterial one.  In our evolutionary past, being with people meant increasing our exposure to viruses, while being alone hunting on the plains meant a greater risk of wounds, be they from predators or accidents. Wounds elicit an inflammatory, antibacterial response in our bodies. 

Jump back to the present.  Even though things that stress us out now don’t tend to injure us or kill us (think mortgages or work deadlines), chronic stress and loneliness might switch our immune system from its antiviral setting to the antibacterial one. 

In contrast, a positive emotional outlook may help prevent an automatic switch to the inflammatory setting when things get tough.

Research, including randomised scientific trials, confirms this on a biological level.  Kindness, optimism and social inclusion have all been shown to switch the genes of our immune systems away from an inflammatory response, and towards gearing the body to fight viruses.

When it comes to the coronavirus vaccines, if they act like other vaccines, then there is reasonably consistent evidence that psychological factors will relate to the magnitude of antibody response.

Although studies have shown positive results when vaccines are administered, it will be interesting to see the results of studies into whether these factors will influence how long the protection will last. 

Chronic stress in its many forms, social isolation included, has been repeatedly shown to undermine the immune system and the vaccine response.

Ongoing research is all the more crucial given mental health toll of the pandemic and the isolation that can come with social distancing.

The takeaway from all of this?  Stressing out about your antibody production is not the way to go. Talking to a loved one to boost your mood before your coronavirus shot certainly won’t hurt.

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Source: Research summary published in New Scientist, January 2021