Want to avoid cancer? Drive during rush hour.

From The Scientist

Short-term stress can actually boost the immune system and help reduce the number of skin cancer tumors in mice. …

Previous studies, including several from [the lab of Firdaus Dhabhar, the lead author of the paper and a neuroimmunologist from Stanford] have shown that acute stress can help fight infection and enhance immune function. But this latest paper, which appeared online at the journal's website ahead of print publication, is the first to demonstrate its effects on cancer. …

The researchers are currently trying to understand the mechanisms involved in the immune response, ensure there are no adverse effects of eliciting such stress in mice, and determine how best to trigger the protective aspects of short-term stress in humans.