Happiness and blood pressure - High & Low Blood Pressure Message Board

tamuprof45 · 09-26-2007, 08:45 PM

Thought I'd share this. Some folks at a university in the UK (Warwick?) published some scholarly papers based on empirical research showing individual levels of "happiness" were positively associated with lower blood pressure. The study was aimed at looking at the effects of anxiety, but this was a side-result.

Interestingly, related studies looking at countries and not individuals showed similar results; the "happier" a country, the lower its aggregate levels of BP!

Not that being hypertensive is anything to be happy about, but it shows the power of emotions and BP. Interesting stuff.

tamuprof45

Guy1_USA · 09-26-2007, 10:36 PM

I don'y buy it... folks who are perfectly happy or even extremely happy can get high blodd pressure because your body does not know why it's stressed.

It can not tell if you are stressed due to happyiness or unhappiness. Said another way, doing what you love doing and always beinging on the go can be extremely stressful... I learned this is college when I was achieving strait A's and completing in college sports and starting a chapter of a natiojnal fraternity... all very fun... but all very stressful together, Why would your bidy know bad stress from good stress... It wouldn't!

tamuprof45 · 09-27-2007, 08:07 AM

I don't believe they argued that "being happy" would prevent hypertension altogether, at least not genetic essential hypertension (which nothing prevents anyway).

But rather, they looked at short term effects, using the invasive technique of inserting a needle into the arteries directly. People who displayed emotions of anger and anxiety had their arteries constrict, while people who displayed happyness...laughter, etc. had their arteries dilate. Consistently. The sample was quite large too I recall.

A thought can send BP soaring 40 points in a nanosecond, so I'm not susprised by the finding necessarily, and to be fair, the negative effects of stress were significantly greater than the positive effects of happiness.

tamuprof45

katolb90 · 11-16-2007, 08:43 AM

Makes perfect sense to me. Especially if you don't have a genetic tendency towards hypertension or living an unhealthy lifestyle. I think its more about having more positive feelings and contentment. Being around friends and enjoying life. I also read a study that loneliness can increase blood pressure too. Makes perfect sense to me. I have a mild BP problem myself. I don't have any real stresses or pressure, but then I asked myself when was the last time I felt content and truly happy. I couldn't answer.

tamuprof45 · 11-16-2007, 09:57 AM

I do empirical research on happiness (ironic for someone with a severe anxiety problem), and I can attest to the statistical association. Of course it may indeed be the case that people with low BP are happier and not the other way around!

But further studies show lonely people have significantly higher BP, and that people with larger support groups have decreasing levels of BP. There are of course outliers. But again, a happy brain=a happy body...to a point.

tamuprof45