Israeli study finds focusing attention on inflammation may reduce response

Bar-Ilan University researchers found that inflammation subsided more quickly when participants focused their attention on the affected area. TPS-IL Can paying attention to an inflamed area of the body affect how quickly the inflammation subsides? A new Israeli study suggests it may. Researchers at Bar-Ilan University’s Azrieli Faculty of Medicine found evidence that directed attention can influence the body’s inflammatory response. When volunteers deliberately focused on sensations arising from a small area of inflammation, the inflammatory response was measurably smaller and returned to baseline more quickly than when their attention was directed elsewhere. The study was led by Dr. Nofar Mizrachi in the laboratory of Dr. Liron Rozenkrantz, in collaboration with clinical immunologist Prof. Menachem Rottem. Fifty-seven healthy volunteers participated in three preregistered experiments. Researchers induced a small, temporary inflammatory response in participants’ skin using a standardized procedure.