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Visceral responses to the social environment
1Department of Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Acta Physiologica Scandinavica. Supplementum
|January 1, 1997
Summary
Social stability supports health, but rapid social change can increase illness risk. A 30-year study in Roseto found increased heart attacks when community bonds weakened, highlighting social patterns
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Public Health
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Historical observations by Hippocrates suggest accustomed life experiences influence health.
- 18th-century philosophers like Locke and Gassendi proposed sensory input shapes brain activity.
- Santiago Ramon y Cajal's discovery of the axonal growth cone provided a neural mechanism for brain plasticity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term effects of social patterns on health.
- To examine the relationship between social change and illness in a specific community.
Main Methods:
- A 30-year prospective study (1962-1992) was conducted.
- The study focused on Roseto, a closely-knit Italian-American town in Pennsylvania.
- Health outcomes, specifically myocardial infarction rates, were tracked in relation to social changes.
Main Results:
- A sharp increase in myocardial infarction (heart attack) rates was observed.
- This increase coincided with the weakening of long-established cohesive social patterns.
- A shift towards more egocentric attitudes was noted within the community.
Conclusions:
- Cohesive social patterns appear to be protective of health.
- Erosion of social stability and increased individualism may predispose individuals to certain illnesses, such as heart disease.
- Environmental and social changes can lead to reorganization of intracranial regulatory mechanisms affecting health.