TY - JOUR
T1 - The human physiology of well-being
T2 - A systematic review on the association between neurotransmitters, hormones, inflammatory markers, the microbiome and well-being
AU - de Vries, Lianne P
AU - van de Weijer, Margot P
AU - Bartels, Meike
N1 - Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022/8
Y1 - 2022/8
N2 - To understand the pathways through which well-being contributes to health, we performed a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines on the association between well-being and physiological markers in four categories, neurotransmitters, hormones, inflammatory markers, and microbiome. We identified 91 studies. Neurotransmitter studies (k number of studies=9) reported only a possible positive association between serotonin and well-being. For the hormone studies (k = 48), a lower momentary cortisol level was related to higher well-being (meta-analytic r = -0.06), and a steeper diurnal slope of cortisol levels. Inflammatory marker studies (k = 36) reported negative or non-significant relations with well-being, with meta-analytic estimates of respectively r = -0.07 and r = -0.05 for C-reactive protein and interleukin-6. Microbiome studies (k = 4) reported inconsistent associations between different bacteria abundance and well-being. The results indicate possible but small roles of serotonin, cortisol, and inflammatory markers in explaining differences in well-being. The inconsistent and limited results for other markers and microbiome require further research. Future directions for a complete picture of the physiological factors underlying well-being are proposed.
AB - To understand the pathways through which well-being contributes to health, we performed a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines on the association between well-being and physiological markers in four categories, neurotransmitters, hormones, inflammatory markers, and microbiome. We identified 91 studies. Neurotransmitter studies (k number of studies=9) reported only a possible positive association between serotonin and well-being. For the hormone studies (k = 48), a lower momentary cortisol level was related to higher well-being (meta-analytic r = -0.06), and a steeper diurnal slope of cortisol levels. Inflammatory marker studies (k = 36) reported negative or non-significant relations with well-being, with meta-analytic estimates of respectively r = -0.07 and r = -0.05 for C-reactive protein and interleukin-6. Microbiome studies (k = 4) reported inconsistent associations between different bacteria abundance and well-being. The results indicate possible but small roles of serotonin, cortisol, and inflammatory markers in explaining differences in well-being. The inconsistent and limited results for other markers and microbiome require further research. Future directions for a complete picture of the physiological factors underlying well-being are proposed.
KW - Biomarkers
KW - Humans
KW - Hydrocortisone/metabolism
KW - Microbiota
KW - Neurotransmitter Agents
KW - Serotonin
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104733
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104733
M3 - Review article
C2 - 35697161
SN - 0149-7634
VL - 139
SP - 104733
JO - Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
JF - Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
ER -