Outline one study that has investigated stress-related illness and the immune system. In your answer you should refer to what was done and what was found. (4 marks)

One study which investigated into the relationship between stress-related illness and the immune system was carried out by Kiecolt-Glaser et al (1984). They used medical students to look into whether short term stressors had an effect on the immune system functioning. Blood samples were take from students both before and during their exam period to assess NK cell activity as well as questionnaires being filled out to measure additional life stressors. It was found that NK cell activity was significantly reduced during the exam period compared to before, suggesting that stressors can have a negative effect on the functioning of the immune system.