Under stress, visualizing a partner’s face lowers stress as much as having them there:
Having a romantic partner beside you can curb harmful physical reactions to stress, such as blood pressure jumps. But it seems your honey doesn’t need to be there in person. A study divided people in romantic relationships into three groups: One was asked to just think about their day while doing a stressful lab task; a second group brought their partner along for the task; and the third group was asked to carefully visualize their partner’s face doing something alone or with them. Those who only thought about their day showed a higher blood pressure rise from the stressful task. Surprisingly, just visualizing the loved one buffered stress as much as having them present.
For Release: March 7, 2019
Contact: Kyle Bourassa, University of Arizona
Higher blood pressure may signal a yen for financial risk-taking
Past research has shown that healthy adults with higher blood pressure tend to have dampened emotional responses to photos that evoke lots of emotion in people with lower blood pressure. They also engage in more risky health behaviors, perhaps feeling less threat than others. Now a new study of 93 adults using a lottery task in the lab suggests they are more likely than those with lower pressure to engage in financial risk-taking. There may be a physical reason for the link between higher resting blood pressure and more risk-taking overall.
For Release: March 7, 2019
Contact: James McCubbin, Clemson University
Physical activity reduces stress hormone surges tied to negative mood in older adults
The stress hormone cortisol tends to rise in us as we age—it leaps 20% to 50% higher between ages 20 and 80. Of course, unpleasant experiences triggering negative mood can raise stress hormones. In a novel seven-day test of whether physical activity helps older adults curb their stress, researchers asked 162 participants 60 to 87 years old to wear devices tracking their step counts; they also were prompted to record their moods four times every day over the week. Negative moods—sadness, anxiety, irritation etc.—linked with higher cortisol levels, but significantly less so for the active older people. In fact, those who walked 9,324 or more steps a day did not show increased cortisol levels even in those bummer moments.
For Release: March 7, 2019
Contact: Theresa Pauly, University of British Columbia
Surprise: emotional support might not be good for certain introverts
Emotional support is generally thought to be a boon for health. But not necessarily, suggests a study of 386 African-American and white city dwellers. For African-Americans and whites living in poverty who were introverts, greater emotional support was associated with higher resting blood pressure and hypertension. These are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The new study raises an important question about whether emotional support is good for everyone’s health.
For Release: March 7, 2019
Contact: Lauren Faulkner, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Not enough sleep after heart incident—an overlooked danger sign?
The need for hospital readmission within a few months of treatment for heart attack or unstable angina signals worse patient outcomes. In an unusual study of how short sleep may contribute to the risk for readmission, researchers asked 580 participants to report how many hours of sleep they got at night during the month following their heart incident. About one-third reported less than six hours a night, and they were significantly more likely than the longer sleepers to return to the hospital (for any cause) within six months. The new findings suggest too little sleep may be a key contributor to readmission risk. Sleep problems may be an important, unrecognized target for doctors to treat as a possible way of minimizing the need for readmission.
For Release: March 9, 2019
Contact: Ari Schechter, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
The Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine (APS) (www.thesbsm.org), founded in 1943, is an international multidisciplinary academic society that organizes an annual scientific meeting and educational programs. Psychosomatic Medicine is its scientific journal. The membership of over 700 is composed of academic scientists and clinicians in medicine, psychiatry, epidemiology, health psychology and allied health services. The mission of the SBSM is “to advance and integrate the scientific study of biological, psychological, behavioral and social factors in health and disease.”