A team of researchers from the universities of Jaén and Granada has carried out a study on blood pressure and its influence on our state of tranquility and concern.
The researchers analyzed the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 57 women, 36 of them with high concern and 21 of them with low , as well as the sensitivity of the baroreceptor reflex during a period of rest, a period of self-induced worry and during the evocation of a defensive reflex through intense auditory stimulation (to generate a negative emotional reaction).
The results, which have been published in the journal Biological Psychology , showed that participants with little concern had higher blood pressure and greater sensitivity to the baroreceptor reflex both at rest and in the induced worry state , than women with high worry.
"This mechanism of emotional relief generated by the stimulation of the baroreceptor reflex from increases in blood pressure could explain some cases of essential or primary hypertension (when it arises without known cause)", says Gustavo A. Reyes del Paso, scientist at the University of Jaén and leader of the study.
Scientists conclude that blood pressure modulates the tendency of each person to worry and is also associated with a calming effect that relieves tension and emotional discomfort when it is high .
