Psychoneuroimmunology or Psycho-neuro-immunology (PNI) is the study of the relationship between psychological activity and the nervous and immune systems of the human body. It integrates psychology, neurology, sociology, endocrinology and immunology and how these factors influence the immune system. Some studies even suggest that these changes affect the body at the molecular level.
PNI focuses mainly on the interactions of the nervous and immune system and the relationships between mental processes and health. Basically, PNI studies the relationip of how people think and feel and how it has a direct effect on how the immune systems function. It looks at the connection between behavior and health and tries to translate this into clinically relevant health applications.
The term, Psychoneuroimmunology or Psycho-neuro-immunology, was first used by Robert Ader and Nicholas Cohen at the University of Rochester in 1975. They conducted an experiment that showed that the nervous system can affect the immune system.
