“When interferon is secreted, you feel sick. It causes aches and pains; you feel terrible,” Zoon explained. Your behavior is being modified—not by the virus directly, but by the response. In very practical terms, a virus invades. The early warning system then sets off a cascade that leads to inflammation, and that also makes you feel rotten. Tired, sore, hot, as I described earlier. You are slowed down, and this can have the very beneficial impact of diverting your body’s resources to fighting the virus and not, say, focusing on your job or going for a jog.
