How do RARA Student Fellows approach their research on a daily basis? What do they learn by conducting research? How do they overcome the obstacles they encounter in the doctoral program? In the first installment of our interview series to introduce RARA Student Fellows' studies and their envisioned career paths, we sat down with Yoshino Murakami, a second-year doctoral student in the Graduate School of Sport and Health Science.

Getting to the heart of the social value of research

―― First off, please tell us why you decided to advance to the doctoral program.

Murakami: The reason I advanced to the doctoral program was because I came to realize that research is not only important, it is also rewarding and enjoyable. Ever since I entered the master's program and began to devote myself to research, I was thinking that I would like to advance to the doctoral program. Well-being, which had been a core concept of my research since the master's program, was starting to permeate throughout society, and I was convinced that it would be a topic of growing need in the future, along with the demand for work style reforms and the improvement of QoL. I wanted to use the research I was pursuing to someday help people and benefit society. I thought that if I delved into research on topics that were in demand, I could eventually make a social contribution. To do this, however, I had to disseminate my research outcomes, along with the scientific evidence to back them up, into the real world. In my case, the master’s program was not going to afford me with enough time to reach this level. I am the type of person who wants to take a deep dive into a single topic, and around April of my second year of the master's program, I started to think that I would like to give the doctoral program a shot.

―― Didn’t it feel like a bold decision to advance to the doctoral program?

Murakami: Yes, indeed. In order to advance to the doctoral program, I first had to solve the issue of financing. Without adequate financial support, it is quite difficult to continue your research. While I was grappling with this issue, which had been the biggest obstacle to my advancement to the doctoral program, I was selected for a RARA Student Fellowship, and thankfully, this problem was resolved.

―― We heard that you have consistently focused on researching the topic of well-being since your days in the master’s program. Tell us about that.

Murakami: Psychological well-being (PWB), which is the focus my research, is a psychological concept based on subjective evaluation, but the objective factors that explain how PWB improves are not clear. For example, a wide range of attributes have shown that exercise is one means of improving PWB, but previous findings do not adequately explain why this is. Therefore, in the master’s program, I exploratively examined the objective factors that reflect the level of PWB from a physiological perspective. Based on the results of previous studies, I hypothesized that improvement in a physiological factor called parasympathetic nervous function (heart rate variability) would contribute to an improved PWB. To test this hypothesis, I am currently conducting an intervention study on aerobic training that includes exercise techniques that can effectively increase heart rate variability. From this research, I hope I can clarify the sequence of aerobic exercise leading to improved heart rate variability leading to improved PWB.

Developing an interest in the gap between common sense and science

―― First and foremost, what is the concept of well-being?

Murakami: To be honest, at this point, there is nothing that can be considered a definitive definition of "well-being.” In fact, all kinds of studies are underway in a wide variety of fields. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) Charter states that "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Well-being in this definition can be translated as "state of contentment," which is somewhat vague. Personally, I sometimes divide well-being into two aspects, hedonism and eudaimonism, using a definition from the field of philosophy.

―― What do you mean by hedonism and eudaimonism?

Murakami: Well-being based on hedonism is a state of sensory fulfillment, such as positive emotions and life satisfaction, while well-being based on eudaimonism (i.e., happiness) is brought about by having a purpose in life, personal growth, and other such factors. Both kinds of well-being have been reported to contribute to a lower risk of disease and mortality. In either case, it is common sense and relatively easy to imagine that people can live longer if they are in a “state of contentment.” However, studies on the expression of a specific set of inflammation-related genes called CTRA (conserved transcriptome response to adversity) suggest that it may not be this simple. CTRA has been shown to be more active in individuals exposed to adversity (e.g., social isolation and chronic stress). In relation to well-being, it has also come to light that people who experience more eudaimonic fulfillment show a reduced expression of CTRA (in other words, lower levels of inflammation). More surprisingly, several of the findings show seemingly contradictory results, with higher CTRA activity (higher levels of inflammation) manifesting in hedonistically happy individuals.

―― This is the first time I have heard about the relationship between well-being and genes.

Murakami: Normally, I would think that people would live longer if they had a higher level of well-being, regardless of whether it is eudaimonic or hedonistic. However, when you delve into the matter scientifically, you end up with findings that are different from the so-called common sense. It makes me happy when I come to a realization like this, and then I feel like I want to get to the bottom of things! I want to know more about how CTRA is related to well-being. And luckily for me, I am now engaged in joint research with the researcher outside of Japan who discovered the CTRA gene.

Thoroughly pursuing one topic leads to the next one

―― You said you are working with the researcher who discovered the gene. Does this mean he can be considered the leading expert in that field?

Murakami: That’s right. Dr. Steve Cole from the University of California, Los Angeles, in the United States is the researcher who developed a method to analyze CTRA. Naturally, I had no personal connections to the world’s leading CTRA researcher, but I happened to come across his paper on the CTRA gene and mentioned it to my supervisor, Dr. Takeshi Hashimoto, who was intrigued. He then worked to contact Dr. Cole. Thanks to Dr. Hashimoto, I found a Japanese professor with connections to Dr. Cole and he put me in touch with him.

―― It looks like Dr. Hashimoto’s ability to take action paid off!

Murakami: Dr. Hashimoto had spent several years conducting research in the U.S., and he seemed to have a firsthand understanding of how frank Americans can be. (In fact, he himself just might be as frank as an American, and I learn a lot from him every day). Japanese people tend to be concerned about social status, but the situation is different in the world of research. I realized that if I was interested in the same topic, I would be accepted as a fellow researcher.

―― Is your research progressing smoothly?

Murakami: I now have subjects come to the laboratory three times a week to participate in workouts that effectively increase their heart rate variability (parasympathetic nervous function). My work is based on the theory that by having participants record their heart rate variability each morning using a mobile phone app and adjusting their workout load according to the increase or decrease of their heart rate variability (i.e., their condition), their post-intervention heart rate variability can be effectively improved. I use electrocardiograms to measure subjects’ heart rate variability before and after intervention. Heart rate variability is a sensitive indicator that reflects not only the body's state of fatigue and recovery, but also stress and other mood states; therefore, the stresses that occur in daily life can directly affect this value. Furthermore, these values tend to change when I ask subjects to come to the university by bicycle or by bus. I am struggling to identify the effects of the workouts because I need to eliminate these confounding factors and proceed with the experiment.

Looking to the future, going overseas is an option

―― Writing a dissertation is a difficult yet important task in the doctoral program. How are you progressing?

Murakami: Just last month (December 2024), I finally got one paper accepted. I submitted this paper a year ago, but it was rejected. I spent more than a year writing the paper after entering the doctoral program, so the rejection had a considerable psychological toll on me. However, this made me realize that the research world is a tough place, so I changed my mindset. The reviewers read my paper and made various comments. Although they raised several points that were difficult to wrap my head around, once I accepted these, I could interpret them in my own way and make revisions. Having overcome this kind of hardship, I was over the moon when my paper was finally accepted.

―― You seem to have a hard schedule. How do you maintain your own well-being?

Murakami: To recharge my batteries, I do aerobic exercise at least once a week, and I also like to go out to eat with my friends from home or my friends living in Kansai. Although I concentrate fully when doing research, it is important to occasionally step away from the research to refresh myself. I have also been able to take overseas business trips to participate in international conferences and engage in exchange with overseas researchers like Dr. Cole, and these are invaluable opportunities that help to boost my motivation.

―― As a RARA Student Fellow, can you access any support for international exchange?

Murakami: If you find an overseas academic conference that you would like to attend, you can receive subsidies for travel and other expenses. This kind of travel support is a great benefit. In addition to working with researchers overseas, participating in social gatherings with other RARA-affiliated faculty members can really broaden your perspective and open up prospective career paths. I have also had the opportunity to talk with researchers and others at non-university research institutions, which has been very helpful because it offers me a window into different worlds.

―― Tell us how you envision your future career.

Murakami: What I think is important is to provide research outcomes backed by scientific evidence to society in some form. Government agencies and companies have started seeking out doctoral talent, so that is one option. Alternatively, I could become a researcher who works on the development of technologies and products that enhance well-being. In this case, I would consider options both at home and abroad. I tend to focus relentlessly and single-mindedly on my research, so considering my personality, working overseas may be a better fit for me (laughs). I am very grateful to the RARA Student Fellowship for expanding the possibilities for my future that far.