What is Psychobiology?
The way in which the brain and body communicate and are connected has long been a contested subject of debate, as philosophers including the Buddha, Aristotle, Descartes and countless others have proposed different theories. If we fast forward some centuries we are still fascinated by questions of how our psychological states influence our bodies, and these lines of inquiry have also been taken up by scientists. The field of psychobiology focuses on the complex connection between psychological experiences and biological processes in the body. Relatedly, the discipline of psychosomatic medicine focuses on this connection in the context of medicine, emphasizing integrative healthcare approaches.
Human Psychobiology Project Goals
The aim of this project is to share fascinating findings from the fields of psychobiology and psychosomatic medicine with scientists, clinicians, students, and the general public. The initial findings included were collected from expert scientists, and additional facts will be continuously added from community contributions. The hope is that these pieces of psychobiological evidence will spark interest in the intersection of the mind and body, promote more integrative approaches to health, and fuel future research into these important topics.
This project was led by Sophie Basarrate in the Mitochondrial Psychobiology Group at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Contributors
Carmen Sandi, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Caroline Trumpff, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald, University of Quebec
Dani Dumitriu, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Elissa Epel, University of California, San Francisco
George Slavich, University of California, Los Angeles
Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, Ohio State University
Martin Picard, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Michael Irwin, University of California, Los Angeles
Owen Wolkowitz, University of California, San Francisco
Robert-Paul Juster, University of Montreal
Susan Lutgendorf, University of Iowa