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"Just when I think I&amp;#039;m getting over this stupid bug, I realize how wrong I am. This cough is hanging on with a death grip, and has actually gotten worse over the last two days. On top of that, I&amp;#039;m still not up to my normal energy level - I&amp;#039;m just plain exhausted and I can&amp;#039;t seem to catch up. I&amp;#039;ve been trying to take it easy, but it turns out there may be more going on than just a bug. According to the results of two separate studies by the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at Ohio State University College of Medicine, being lonely can be making me sicker. The results of those studies were presented January 19th at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. The studies revealed that people who are lonely experience more reactivation of latent viruses in their systems than their socializing counterparts. Lonely people area also more likely than others to produce inflammatory compounds called cytokines in response to stress, which can be a factor in the development of heart disease and other chronic disorders. Earlier research by the same group shows that close and connected relationships are necessary for people to thrive, and without them, people perceive and react to stressful situations very differently. I know I&amp;#039;ve found this to be true. Sometimes my introvert tendencies can be a real hindrance in that way. I just hate to feel like a moocher or like I&amp;#039;m too needy, even when I know my friends would never see it that way. Do you feel a lot worse physically, when you&amp;#039;re feeling lonely or isolated? I know I definitely do. Maybe this is a lesson to me to (a) see the doctor about this stupid cough and (b) stop shutting myself up in the house on alternate weekends and go find some friends to hang with. Sounds like I have some calls to make! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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