Focusing on bodily sensations may dampen acute inflammation, human experiments suggest

A recent study published in Nature Human Behaviour suggests that paying attention to bodily sensations associated with inflammation may help reduce the inflammatory response. Led by researchers at Bar-Ilan University, the study involved 57 healthy volunteers who underwent a controlled procedure to induce a small, temporary inflammatory response in their skin.

Participants were then instructed to either focus on the sensation in the affected area or to direct their attention elsewhere. The results showed that when participants voluntarily focused their attention on the inflammation, their inflammatory response was smaller and recovered more quickly compared to when they diverted their attention.

Nearly 90% of participants experienced a roughly 1.5-fold reduction in inflammation when their attention was directed towards the affected area. This effect was observed within minutes of the attentional shift and persisted for the duration of the 20-minute measurement period. The researchers identified two pathways through which attention influenced inflammation.

One involved direct sensory signals from the inflamed tissue, while the other was a top-down mechanism where attention continued to modulate the inflammatory response even when sensory input was reduced using a local anesthetic. While the findings are promising, more research is needed to determine if similar mechanisms apply to chronic inflammation, autoimmune diseases, wound healing, or other conditions.

The study's authors plan to investigate the underlying brain and immune pathways and explore the potential implications for understanding how the brain regulates physiological responses.