Three Mindset Shifts May Lower Chronic Inflammation

A 2024 Journal of Psychosomatic Research study connected three psychological strengths—personal control, life purpose and dependable social support—with reduced inflammation. Margie Lachman, Ph.D., and colleagues analyzed MIDUS project data from 1,244 people who were 34 to 82 years old. Five blood biomarkers were used to assess inflammation. Participants with stronger scores across the three areas had less inflammation, better everyday functioning and fewer long-term health conditions.

Personal control means expecting that one’s actions can shape outcomes even when obstacles arise. Lachman says this outlook generally remains steady through midlife and reaches its highest point then. Purpose can be grounded in ordinary sources of meaning, including creative work, caregiving, mentoring or community involvement. In another study of 2,558 older people, greater purpose was associated with later development of dementia and longer life. Average age at death was roughly 89 in the higher-purpose group, versus 85 among those with less purpose.

Social support refers to trusted, reliable relationships rather than simply knowing many people. Research tracking more than 8,000 participants for five years found that support altered the relationship between perceived stress and C-reactive protein, an inflammation marker. Separate multi-cohort research tied social isolation to higher adult levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6. These findings suggest that control, meaning and trusted relationships may reduce perceived stress, which Lachman identifies as an important contributor to inflammation. Her laboratory is currently examining this stress pathway further.