A study published in the recent journal Psychosomatic Medicine found that both men and women with a more positive attitude had lower blood pressure.
For the study blood pressure was measured and compared to scores on a questionaire used to assess emotions. More than 2,500 men and women completed the study. Each person ranked their emotions on a scale from 0 to 12, with 12 being the most positive.
The researchers found that the higher the emotional score, the lower the blood pressure. This was true for individuals taking medications to control blood pressure and those not under any treatment.
Emotional happiness may affect blood pressure via hormonal signals in the blood. It is well known that stressful situations can raise blood pressure, so perhaps also the reverse is true: being carefree and happy lowers blood pressure.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on November 3, 2006 02:07 PM
