Psychosomatic Medicine 26:710-719 (1964)
© 1964 American Psychosomatic Society

Effect of Group Relationship and of the Role of Leadership upon Lipid Mobilization

¹ Departments of Medicine, Sociology, and Psychiatry, Duke University, Durham, N. C.

The physiologic responses of man occurring during situations of social interaction have been speculated on as being of possible importance in the evolution of cardiovascular disease. Since alterations in lipid metabolism may contribute to the development of some types of cardiovascular disease, a series of studies of the relationship between various types of social interaction and the process of lipid mobilization have been conducted. The results indicate that the type of social relationships that existed for the subjects prior to the experimental study significantly influenced the physiologic response of the individual during the study and that the effect of agreement or disagreement among the group upon lipid mobilization also depended upon the established social interaction.