A cardiological study examined the consequences of different emotions on vascular function, and the result is clear: a particular emotion is much more toxic than we think for our heart.
An emotion is a primitive and immediate internal reaction having an impact on our psyche and even on our body. For example, stress can cause heart palpitations, shame can cause blushing to appear in the cheeks, or even disgust can cause nausea. We distinguish between positive emotions (joy, pride, serenity, etc.) and negative emotions (jealousy, fear, sadness, etc.).
In addition to these visceral reactions, American researchers wondered whether negative emotions like anger, sadness and anxiety could have a negative impact on vascular function. Their results were published in the journal “Journal of the American Heart Association“. To reach their conclusions, they divided 280 participants into whom they randomly assigned one of the following four emotional tasks for 8 minutes:
- Recalling a personal memory of anxiety
- Read a series of depressing sentences that evoke sadness
- Remember a personal memory that made them angry
- Count to 100 to induce a neutral emotional state
Before and after carrying out these tasks, the researchers observed the state of endothelial cells, cells which line the interior of blood vessels and play, among other things, an active role in the control of vascular tone and therefore local blood flow. . At the end of the study, they observed that sadness and anxiety had no significant change on these cells compared to a neutral task.
On the other hand “Eliciting a state of anger leads to dysfunction of blood vessels, although we do not yet understand what can cause this change” said Dr. Shimbo, lead author of the study. “Impaired vascular function linked to increased risk of heart attack and stroke” he recalled. A brief episode of anger is therefore enough to disrupt blood circulation. “What happens if you get angry 10,000 times in your lifetime? This chronic insult to your arteries can eventually lead to permanent damage” Dr. Shimbo asks worriedly.
“This study adds to the growing evidence base that mental well-being can affect cardiovascular health and that acute and intense emotional states, such as anger and stress, can lead to cardiovascular events.” continues the expert. According to the researchers, these results should encourage people who experience a lot of anger to seek behavioral therapies.