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Background: Although loneliness and social isolation have been linked to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and dementia, their association with the risk of severe infection is uncertain. We aimed to examine the associations between loneliness and social isolation and the risk of hospital-treated infections using data from two independent cohort studies. Methods: We assessed the association between loneliness and social isolation and incident hospital-treated infections using data for participants from the UK Biobank study aged 38–73 years at baseline and participants from the nationwide population-based Finnish Health and Social Support (HeSSup) study aged 20–54 years at baseline. For inclusion in the study, participants had to be linked to national health registries, have no history of hospital-treated infections at or before baseline, and have complete data on loneliness or social isolation. Participants with missing data on hospital-treated infections, loneliness, and social isolation were excluded from both cohorts. The outcome was defined as a hospital admission with a primary diagnosis of infection, ascertained via linkage to electronic health records. Findings: After exclusion of 8·6 million participants for not responding or not providing appropriate consent, the UK Biobank cohort consisted of 456 905 participants (249 586 women and 207 319 men). 26 860 (6·2%) of 436 001 participants with available data were reported as being lonely and 40 428 (9·0%) of 448 114 participants with available data were socially isolated. During a median 8·9 years (IQR 8·0–9·6) of follow-up, 51 361 participants were admitted to hospital due to an infectious disease. After adjustment for age, sex, demographic and lifestyle factors, and morbidities, loneliness was associated with an increased risk of a hospital-treated infection (hazard ratio [HR] 1·12 [95% CI 1·07–1·16]), whereas social isolation was not (HR 1·01 [95% CI 0·97–1·04]). Of 64 797 individuals in the HeSSup cohort, 18 468 (11 367 women and 7101 men) were eligible for inclusion. 4466 (24·4%) of 18 296 were lonely and 1776 (9·7%) of 18 376 socially isolated. During a median follow-up of 10·0 years (IQR 10·0–10·1), 814 (4·4%) participants were admitted to hospital for an infectious disease. The HRs for the HeSSup study replicated those in the UK Biobank (multivariable-adjusted HR for loneliness 1·32 [95% CI 1·06–1·64]; 1·08 [0·87–1·35] for social isolation). Interpretation: Loneliness might increase susceptibility to severe infections, although the magnitude of this effect appears modest and residual confounding cannot be excluded. Interventional studies are required before policy recommendations can advance. Funding: Academy of Finland, the UK Medical Research Council, and Wellcome Trust UK. CC BY 4.0This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license© 2023 The Author(s)Correspondence Address: M. Elovainio; Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland; email: marko.elovainio@helsinki.fiME was supported by the Academy of Finland (339390). PNS was supported by the Emil Aaltonen Foundation and Finnish Medical Foundation. JV was supported by the Academy of Finland (321409 and 329240). MK was supported by the UK Medical Research Council (S011676), Wellcome Trust UK (221854/Z/20/Z), National Institute on Aging USA (R01AG056477), and the Academy of Finland (350426). STN was supported by NordForsk (75021) and the Finnish Work Environment Fund (190424). CH was supported by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant number 101040247). This research has been done using the UK Biobank Resource under application number 14801.

Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s) Psychological and social factors are known to influence blood pressure (BP) and risk of hypertension and associated cardiovascular diseases. To identify novel BP loci, we carried out genome-wide association meta-analyses of systolic, diastolic, pulse, and mean arterial BP, taking into account the interaction effects of genetic variants with three psychosocial factors: depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and social support. Analyses were performed using a two-stage design in a sample of up to 128,894 adults from five ancestry groups. In the combined meta-analyses of stages 1 and 2, we identified 59 loci (p value < 5e−8), including nine novel BP loci. The novel associations were observed mostly with pulse pressure, with fewer observed with mean arterial pressure. Five novel loci were identified in African ancestry, and all but one showed patterns of interaction with at least one psychosocial factor. Functional annotation of the novel loci supports a major role for genes implicated in the immune response (PLCL2), synaptic function and neurotransmission (LIN7A and PFIA2), as well as genes previously implicated in neuropsychiatric or stress-related disorders (FSTL5 and CHODL). These findings underscore the importance of considering psychological and social factors in gene discovery for BP, especially in non-European populations.

Psychological and social factors are known to influence blood pressure (BP) and risk of hypertension and associated cardiovascular diseases. To identify novel BP loci, we carried out genome-wide association meta-analyses of systolic, diastolic, pulse, and mean arterial BP taking into account the interaction effects of genetic variants with three psychosocial factors: depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and social support. Analyses were performed using a two-stage design in a sample of up to 128,894 adults from 5 ancestry groups. In the combined meta-analyses of Stages 1 and 2, we identified 59 loci (p value

Very few genetic variants have been associated with depression and neuroticism, likely because of limitations on sample size in previous studies. Subjective well-being, a phenotype that is genetically correlated with both of these traits, has not yet been studied with genome-wide data. We conducted genome-wide association studies of three phenotypes: subjective well-being (n = 298,420), depressive symptoms (n = 161,460), and neuroticism (n = 170,911). We identify 3 variants associated with subjective well-being, 2 variants associated with depressive symptoms, and 11 variants associated with neuroticism, including 2 inversion polymorphisms. The two loci associated with depressive symptoms replicate in an independent depression sample. Joint analyses that exploit the high genetic correlations between the phenotypes (|ρ^| ≈ 0.8) strengthen the overall credibility of the findings and allow us to identify additional variants. Across our phenotypes, loci regulating expression in central nervous system and adrenal or pancreas tissues are strongly enriched for association.

Extraversion is a relatively stable and heritable personality trait associated with numerous psychosocial, lifestyle and health outcomes. Despite its substantial heritability, no genetic variants have been detected in previous genome-wide association (GWA) studies, which may be due to relatively small sample sizes of those studies. Here, we report on a large meta-analysis of GWA studies for extraversion in 63,030 subjects in 29 cohorts. Extraversion item data from multiple personality inventories were harmonized across inventories and cohorts. No genome-wide significant associations were found at the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) level but there was one significant hit at the gene level for a long non-coding RNA site (LOC101928162). Genome-wide complex trait analysis in two large cohorts showed that the additive variance explained by common SNPs was not significantly different from zero, but polygenic risk scores, weighted using linkage information, significantly predicted extraversion scores in an independent cohort. These results show that extraversion is a highly polygenic personality trait, with an architecture possibly different from other complex human traits, including other personality traits. Future studies are required to further determine which genetic variants, by what modes of gene action, constitute the heritable nature of extraversion.

Approximately half of the variation in wellbeing measures overlaps with variation in personality traits. Studies of non-human primate pedigrees and human twins suggest that this is due to common genetic influences. We tested whether personality polygenic scores for the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) domains and for item response theory (IRT) derived extraversion and neuroticism scores predict variance in wellbeing measures. Polygenic scores were based on published genome-wide association (GWA) results in over 17,000 individuals for the NEO-FFI and in over 63,000 for the IRT extraversion and neuroticism traits. The NEO-FFI polygenic scores were used to predict life satisfaction in 7 cohorts, positive affect in 12 cohorts, and general wellbeing in 1 cohort (maximal N = 46,508). Meta-analysis of these results showed no significant association between NEO-FFI personality polygenic scores and the wellbeing measures. IRT extraversion and neuroticism polygenic scores were used to predict life satisfaction and positive affect in almost 37,000 individuals from UK Biobank. Significant positive associations (effect sizes

ImportanceNeuroticism is a pervasive risk factor for psychiatric conditions. It genetically overlaps with major depressive disorder (MDD) and is therefore an important phenotype for psychiatric genetics. The Genetics of Personality Consortium has created a resource for genome-wide association analyses of personality traits in more than 63,000 participants (including MDD cases).ObjectivesTo identify genetic variants associated with neuroticism by performing a meta-analysis of genome-wide association results based on 1000 Genomes imputation; to evaluate whether common genetic variants as assessed by single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) explain variation in neuroticism by estimating SNP-based heritability; and to examine whether SNPs that predict neuroticism also predict MDD.Design, setting, and participantsGenome-wide association meta-analysis of 30 cohorts with genome-wide genotype, personality, and MDD data from the Genetics of Personality Consortium. The study included 63,661 participants from 29 discovery cohorts and 9786 participants from a replication cohort. Participants came from Europe, the United States, or Australia. Analyses were conducted between 2012 and 2014.Main outcomes and measuresNeuroticism scores harmonized across all 29 discovery cohorts by item response theory analysis, and clinical MDD case-control status in 2 of the cohorts.ResultsA genome-wide significant SNP was found on 3p14 in MAGI1 (rs35855737; P = 9.26 × 10-9 in the discovery meta-analysis). This association was not replicated (P = .32), but the SNP was still genome-wide significant in the meta-analysis of all 30 cohorts (P = 2.38 × 10-8). Common genetic variants explain 15% of the variance in neuroticism. Polygenic scores based on the meta-analysis of neuroticism in 27 cohorts significantly predicted neuroticism (1.09 × 10-12

Objective. To examine factors associated with weight change and obesity risk in young and middle-aged adults. Subjects/methods. The Young Finns Study with its 923 women and 792 men aged 24–39 years at baseline were followed for six years. Variables associated with the weight change were investigated with regression models. Results. The average weight change was 0.45 kg/year in women and 0.58 kg/year in men. In women, weight change was steady across all ages. In men, weight changes were more pronounced in younger age groups. In women (weight gain > 2 kg, n = 490), medication for anxiety, low occupational status, high baseline BMI (body mass index), high intake of sweet beverages, high childhood BMI, high salt (NaCl and/or KCl) use, low number of children, low childhood family income, high stature and low level of dependence (a temperament subscale) were associated with increased weight gain (in the order of importance). In men (weight gain > 2 kg, n = 455), high stature, high intake of french fries, low intake of sweet cookies, young age, recent divorce, low intake of cereals, high intake of milk, depressive symptoms, rural childhood origin, high baseline BMI and unemployment were associated with more pronounced weight gain. Sedentarity (screen-time) was associated with weight gain only in young men. Physical activity and genetic risk for high BMI (score of 31 known variants) were not consistently associated with weight change. Conclusions. Socio-economic factors, temperamental and physical characteristics, and some dietary factors are related with weight change in young/middle-aged adults. The weight change occurring in adulthood is also determined by childhood factors, such as high BMI and low family income.

Objective. To examine factors associated with weight change and obesity risk in young and middle-aged adults. Subjects/methods. The Young Finns Study with its 923 women and 792 men aged 24–39 years at baseline were followed for six years. Variables associated with the weight change were investigated with regression models. Results. The average weight change was 0.45 kg/year in women and 0.58 kg/year in men. In women, weight change was steady across all ages. In men, weight changes were more pronounced in younger age groups. In women (weight gain > 2 kg, n = 490), medication for anxiety, low occupational status, high baseline BMI (body mass index), high intake of sweet beverages, high childhood BMI, high salt (NaCl and/or KCl) use, low number of children, low childhood family income, high stature and low level of dependence (a temperament subscale) were associated with increased weight gain (in the order of importance). In men (weight gain > 2 kg, n = 455), high stature, high intake of french fries, low intake of sweet cookies, young age, recent divorce, low intake of cereals, high intake of milk, depressive symptoms, rural childhood origin, high baseline BMI and unemployment were associated with more pronounced weight gain. Sedentarity (screen-time) was associated with weight gain only in young men. Physical activity and genetic risk for high BMI (score of 31 known variants) were not consistently associated with weight change. Conclusions. Socio-economic factors, temperamental and physical characteristics, and some dietary factors are related with weight change in young/middle-aged adults. The weight change occurring in adulthood is also determined by childhood factors, such as high BMI and low family income.

Emotions have various effects in work life and in organizational social interaction. Daily work events evoke emotional reactions, which are communicated to colleagues and clients. The communicated emotions may evoke corresponding affective response in the perceiver and, thus, the emotions become social. Existing emotional state may have an effect on the performance of work tasks, such as decision making, and also on social interaction, whether it happens face-to-face or mediated by some communication technology. Due to the hierarchical nature of organizations there may also be, often implicit, rules for expressing certain emotions, depending on one’s social status. In this dissertation, self-reports and psychophysiological measurements are used in the study of emotions in organizational social interaction, utilizing both, controlled laboratory experiments and also field studies in actual work settings. The four studies of the dissertation focus on two research lines: 1) the dispositional effects of personality and trait emotional intelligence on emotions during dyadic face-to-face social interaction, and 2) emotional processes during technology-mediated social interaction when conducting work tasks, such as planning and decision-making. The current dissertation focuses on emotions on four of the five organizational levels of the Ashkanasy’s (2003) model, that is, Within-person level, Between-persons level, Interpersonal interactions level, and Groups and teams level. The work is organized to six research questions, which address the relationship between emotional expressions and internal motivation state with behavior in a social decision-making task, the role of trait emotional intelligence and personality in emotional processes during organizational face-to-face social interaction, emotional contagion and emotion regulation in technology-mediated social interaction, and the effects that technology-mediated group emotional state has to the individual. Regarding the first research question, it was shown that during social decision-making task with a computer-controlled virtual character the participant’s facial muscle activation that is indicative of negative valence emotional expressions was related to their decision to deflect the possibility for cooperation. Deflection enabled higher pay-off in the task; the frontal asymmetry of the electroencephalogram, indexing approach motivation, was related to the anticipated high pay-off achievement rather than to establishing cooperation. Both, trait emotional intelligence and matching levels of Extraversion personality dimension were shown to be related to self-reports and physiological activity indicating positive valence emotional state during a performance review discussion, thus contributing to the second and third research questions. For the fourth research question, it was shown that emotional contagion occurred from a virtual character and also within a distributed group via a technology mediated cue of group emotional state. In addition, it was shown that there was emotion regulation when interacting with a virtual character, thus contributing to the fifth research question. Finally, for the sixth research question it was shown that contagious negative group emotional state had detrimental effects to the confidence towards the group. In sum, this dissertation contributes to the field of organizational social psychology and shows the viability of the quantitative method of psychophysiology in the study of organizational behavior also in real-life contexts. Tunteet vaikuttavat töissä tapahtuvaan sosiaaliseen vuorovaikutukseen. Päivittäiset tapahtumat töissä herättävät tunteita, joita viestitään sekä työtovereille että asiakkaille. Nämä välitetyt tunteet voivat herättää tunnereaktioita havaitsijassa ja näin tunteista tulee sosiaalisia. Vallitseva tunnetila vaikuttaa työtehtävistä suoriutumiseen. Tunnetila vaikuttaa myös sekä kasvokkain tapahtuvaan että teknologiavälitteiseen sosiaaliseen vuorovaikutukseen. Työorganisaatioiden hierarkkisen luonteen vuoksi henkilön sosiaalinen asema organisaatiossa saattaa vaikuttaa, usein sanattomien sääntöjen kautta, siihen, mitä tunteita on kulloinkin soveliasta ilmaista. Käytän väitöskirjassani itseraportointeja sekä psykofysiologisia mittauksia tutkiessani tunteita organisaatioissa tapahtuvassa sosiaalisessa vuorovaikutuksessa. Väitöskirjan osajulkaisut koostuvat kontrolloiduista laboratoriokokeista ja oikeissa työympäristöissä tehdyistä mittauksista. Neljä osatutkimusta jakautuvat kahteen tutkimuslinjaan: 1) persoonallisuuden ja tunneälyn vaikutukset tunteisiin kahdenkeskisessä kasvokkain tapahtuvassa sosiaalisessa vuorovaikutuksessa, ja 2) tunneprosessit teknologiavälitteisen sosiaalisen vuorovaikutuksen aikana tehtäessä työtehtäviä, mm. suunnittelua ja päätöksentekoa. Keskityn väitöskirjassani tutkimaan tunteita neljällä Ashkanasyn (2003) määrittelemästä viidestä organisaatiotasosta: Yksilötasolla, Yksilönvälisten erojen tasolla, Yksilöiden välisellä tasolla, ja Ryhmien tasolla. Väitöskirjan kuudessa tutkimuskysymyksessä tarkastellaan tunneilmaisujen ja motivaation yhteyttä käyttäytymiseen sosiaalisessa päätöksentekotilanteessa, tunneälyn ja persoonallisuuden vaikutuksia tunneprosesseihin kasvokkain tapahtuvan vuorovaikutuksen aikana, tunteiden tarttumista ja säätelyä teknologiavälitteisessä sosiaalisessa vuorovaikutuksessa, sekä ryhmän välitetyn tunnetilan vaikutusta yksilöön. Väitöskirjani osatutkimusten tulokset osoittava mm., että sosiaalisessa päätöksentekotilanteessa virtuaalihahmon kanssa koehenkilöiden negatiivisiin tunteisiin liittyvä kasvolihasaktiviteetti oli yhteydessä heidän päätökseensä hylätä mahdollisuus yhteistyöhön. Yhteistyön hylkääminen mahdollisti suuremman rahallisen palkkion; aivosähkökäyrästä analysoitu motivaatioon ja lähentymistaipumukseen liittyvä vaste oli yhteydessä suuremman palkkion, eikä yhteistyön tavoitteluun. Koehenkilöiden osoitettiin myös säätelevän tunneilmaisujaan ollessaan vuorovaikutuksessa virtuaalihahmon kanssa. Tunteiden tarttumisen osoitettiin tapahtuvan sekä virtuaalihahmolta, että ryhmän tunnetilaa kuvaavista tekstivihjeistä ja välitetty ryhmän negatiivinen tunnetila heikensi koehenkilön luottamusta ryhmää kohtaan. Lisäksi kasvokkain käydyssä kehityskeskustelussa havaittiin keskustelijoiden ekstraversio-persoonallisuuspiirteiden samankaltaisuuksien ja tunneälyn yhteydet positiivisiin tunteisiin liittyviin itseraportointeihin ja kasvolihasaktiviteettiin. Väitöskirjani edustaa organisaatiokäyttäytymisen ja sosiaalisen psykofysiologian tutkimussuuntia ja tarjoaa uutta tietoa tunteista organisaatioissa tapahtuvassa sosiaalisessa vuorovaikutuksessa. Esitetyt tulokset rohkaisevat käyttämään psykofysiologisia mittausmenetelmiä myös aidoissa työympäristöissä tehtävissä tutkimuksissa.