Psychoneuroimmunology: the experiential dimension

Area of Science:

• Biology
• Medicine
• Psychoneuroimmunology

Background:

• Experience, defined as lifetime knowledge from sensing and acting, has fundamental biological relevance.
• It influences adaptive systems (endocrine, immune, nerve) and affects both healthy status and malfunctional traits.
• Experience is frequently excluded from empirical research, leading to neglected complex interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review claims for integrating experience into biological and medical explanations.
• To highlight the necessity of experiential knowledge for psychoneuroimmunology.
• To advocate for a more holistic approach in scientific understanding.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing claims regarding the role of experience in science.
• Analysis of the impact of excluding experiential knowledge in empirical approaches.
• Examination of the specific relevance of experience to psychoneuroimmunology.

Main Results:

• Evidence supports the fundamental biological relevance of experience.
• Excluding experience leads to the neglect of crucial life history interactions.
• Experiential knowledge is essential for meaningful explanations and predictions in psychoneuroimmunology.

Conclusions:

• Experience should be recognized as a key factor in biological and medical research.
• Meaningful scientific understanding, particularly in psychoneuroimmunology, requires the inclusion of experiential knowledge.
• Future research should prioritize the integration of experience to advance biological and medical sciences.