Dr. Giulia Enders

So the immune system is the same way.

When it gets, you know, fed up with something or insulted, then it can either be like, really stupid, but we'll take care and like calm down.

Or it can be inflammatory about it for, you know, another two days.

You don't want that.

I don't.

often feel calmer after I finish an exercise session.

I tend to do a gym session like during the day within work.

And I notice often I feel calmer, even though in fact, I've obviously been straining myself much more than just like sitting in front of a desk, you know, usually looking at a video screen, talking to people.

What's going on and how does that tie into what you're describing about the interaction with like calming down my immune system?

Well, this is not only about the immune system.

This is also really about the brain being in the body, having all these things happening, like playful stress.

The experience the brain just had was similar to a disease.

Like it had a high temperature when you were doing sport.

It had an elevated pulse.

It had an elevated blood pressure.

It maybe even had like a surge of like stress hormones, like all these things that actually should be horrible, you know.

But it was sort of a playfulness because it's not really a fever and it's not really something anxiety inducing that drives up your heart rate.

And it can all stop the moment you're done.

You can decide when you're done.

So in a way, this is kind of like good for the brain to experience that it can be out of its comfort zone, but then come back.