Recent study findings suggest a potential link between body temperatures and symptoms of depression.
Researchers are planning more detailed investigations into the mechanisms that regulate body temperature in humans to gain better insight into this phenomenon.
A research team at the University of California, San Francisco, has deduced that not only physical conditions but also mental illnesses can affect body temperature.
Data from a project named TemPredict, which was initially designed to discern whether wearable thermometer devices could detect
COVID-19 infections earlier than usual by monitoring changes in skin temperature (the answer being: perhaps), was used in this discovery. The same data can be repurposed for other studies, such as analyzing the body temperature values of individuals who self-report as depressed.
The researchers behind the study reviewed data from more than 20,000 participants and established a noticeable association between depressive symptoms and generally higher body temperatures. This correlation was evident in both self-reported and device-measured temperature data.
The study also found that the more severe the depression in an individual, the higher their body temperature tended to be.
Although this research has highlighted a correlation between mental health and body temperature, it does not establish a causal relationship, as pointed out by Gizmodo.
The direction of the relationship remains unclear: Does depression lead to increased body temperature, or does a higher body temperature contribute to feelings of depression? Or could this interaction be bidirectional?
Interestingly, strengthening the theory is the observation that if one recovers from depression, their body temperature tends to return to normal levels.
However, many questions remain unanswered, necessitating further research in this area. Specialists are keen to focus specifically on the regulation of body temperature to better understand this occurrence.