How a good mood could help some vaccines work better

Being in a good mood could boost the effectiveness of some vaccines like the Covid-19 jab, according to a new study. This discovery could support the development of new treatments designed to elevate mood prior to vaccination, enhancing the immune response, researchers say. While psychological factors like stress have previously been linked to the efficacy of traditional vaccines, such as the flu shot which includes a weakened version of a virus, this research explores the impact of mood on the newer mRNA technology.

mRNA vaccines, like those used for Covid-19, introduce genetic material that instructs cells to produce a specific protein to trigger an immune response. For the study, a team from Cardiff University took blood samples from 184 people before they received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. They were then asked to complete a questionnaire designed to measure stress, anxiety, depression and positive mood.



A second blood sample was then collected four weeks after the second dose of the jab was given. Researchers found antibodies in those who reported the most positive moods were 16 per cent higher when compared to those with lowest level of positivity. Professor Kavita Vedhara, of the Cardiff University School of Psychology, said: “Research with traditional vaccines, such as flu, has shown that some psychological factors, such as stress, are associated with vaccines working less well, particularly in older adults.

“During the pandemic there was some evidence to suggest that these mRNA vaccines offered greater protection than more traditional vaccines. “We were interested to know whether, despite their superiority, could psychological factors still influence how well these vaccines worked. This is the first time these relationships have been examined in the context of mRNA vaccines.

” Meanwhile, antibodies in people with moderate depression were 18 per cent lower compared to those with no symptoms of depression. There was no evidence to support that anxiety or stress impacted the body’s antibody response, according to the study. Professor Vedhara said the findings, published in the journal Brain, Behaviour and Immunity, provide “some of the best evidence to date that psychological factors are associated with mRNA vaccine responses”.

“Although these effects are modest, they are striking because we are seeing these relationships in vaccines that are otherwise very effective and, in particular, in younger adults – who usually respond well to vaccines. “These findings support a need to understand how these effects are occurring and how we might develop new treatments to optimise people’s mood at the time of their vaccines to ensure they work as well as possible. “Vaccines are considered to be among the most important health measures ever developed, with research suggesting that, globally, vaccines save six lives every minute.

“But not everyone benefits from vaccines. This work helps us understand how we might help them work better in the most vulnerable groups.”.