Sex Differences in the Effect of Inflammation on Subjective Social Status: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Endotoxin in Healthy Young Adults.

Mona Moieni,Keely A. Muscatell,Michael R. Irwin,Ivana Jevtic,Elizabeth C. Breen,Naomi I. Eisenberger

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02167

Abstract

It has been established that inflammation leads to a variety of changes in social experience, but one area of social experience that has been overlooked is subjective social status. Furthermore, given sex differences in the relationship between inflammation and social status, males may be more sensitive to inflammation-induced changes in social status. However, no previous studies in humans have examined this possibility. In the present study, healthy young participants (n = 115) were randomly assigned to receive either endotoxin, an experimental inflammatory challenge, or placebo. Participants reported their subjective social status at baseline (prior to injection), and approximately 2 h later (time of peak inflammatory response for the endotoxin group). Results, using ANCOVA analyses, indicated that males exposed to endotoxin, but not females, reported lower levels of subjective social status at the peak of inflammatory response (vs. placebo). These results suggest that males may be more sensitive to the effects of inflammation in certain social domains, such as perceived social status.Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT01671150.

Highlights

During sickness, proinflammatory cytokines induce a constellation of symptoms known as “sickness behavior” (Kelley et al, 2003)
The present findings extend the literature on inflammation and social experience by examining, for the first time, the effects of an experimental inflammatory challenge on subjective social status
Consistent with our hypothesis, we found that males exposed to endotoxin, relative to males exposed to placebo, showed lower levels of subjective social status

Summary

Introduction

Proinflammatory cytokines induce a constellation of symptoms known as “sickness behavior” (Kelley et al, 2003). Inflammation and Subjective Social Status (Eisenberger et al, 2017; Moieni and Eisenberger, 2018) These changes are thought to be evolutionarily adaptive; individuals in a heightened inflammatory state need to rest and recover, which may promote social withdrawal and increased sensitivity to negative social experience in order to conserve energy for recuperation. We are not aware of any studies examining the effects of experimental inflammation on social status in humans, correlational studies support a relationship between social status and inflammation, such that lower social status is associated with higher levels of inflammation (Muscatell et al, in press). It is possible (and often assumed) that these associations are driven by low status leading to higher inflammation, it is possible that higher inflammation is leading to low status

Methods

Results

Conclusion