You know the saying, “Let bygones be bygones?”
“Impaired vascular function is linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke,” lead study author and cardiologist Dr. Daichi Shimbo said in a press release. “Observational studies have linked feelings of negative emotions with having a heart attack or other cardiovascular disease events.”
Evoking Anger Impairs Blood Flow
In the study, 280 adults were randomly assigned to perform four emotional tasks lasting eight minutes. Participants had no prior history of cardiovascular diseases or traditional risk factors, such as stroke, transient ischemic attack, peripheral arterial disease, hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia. Participants were nonsmokers without a history of psychosis, mood disorders, or personality disorders.Tasks included recalling a personal memory that made them mad or one that made them anxious, reading a series of depressing sentences, or repeatedly counting to 100 in an attempt to remain in a neutral emotional state.
Before and after participants performed the tasks, the research team examined the cells lining participants’ blood vessels to see if they had any trouble dilating or had suffered any injury. The research team made assessments multiple times after participants completed the tasks, including three minutes, 40 minutes, 70 minutes, and 100 minutes afterward.
The researchers found that when individuals recalled memories that made them feel angry, they experienced impaired blood vessel dilation for up to 40 minutes after the task and not beyond. The research team observed no statistically significant changes in people who performed tasks that made them anxious or sad.
The Mind-Body-Heart Connection
According to a 2021 scientific statement by the American Heart Association (AHA), mental well-being can positively or negatively affect a person’s health and influence risk factors for heart disease and stroke. The statement noted that the mind, heart, and body are interconnected and interdependent.“This study adds nicely to the growing evidence base that mental well-being can affect cardiovascular health, and that intense acute emotional states, such as anger or stress, may lead to cardiovascular events,” Dr. Glenn Levine, writing committee chair of the AHA statement and master clinician and professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, said of the new study in the press release.
Dr. Levine explained that researchers know that certain events can evoke stress, such as an earthquake or watching a sports match, which can lead to heart attack or arrhythmia.
“This current study very eloquently shows how anger can negatively impact vascular endothelial health and function, and we know the vascular endothelium, the lining of blood vessels, is a key player in myocardial ischemia and atherosclerotic heart disease,” Dr. Levine said. “While not all the mechanisms on how psychological states and health impact cardiovascular health have been elucidated, this study clearly takes us one step closer to defining such mechanisms.”
