An experiment was conducted with young adults to study the effects of two hypothesized risk factors for essential hypertension, namely, having (1) a positive family history of essential hypertension, and (2) anger inhibition. Subjects were tested in a dyadic role play task designed to simulate mundane and conflictual social interactions. Heart rate and blood pressure were recorded, reports of emotion were obtained, and role play behavior was coded for assertiveness. Although family history of essential hypertension and anger inhibition were not associated with one another, both variables were related to cardiovascular activity. These results provide new information about the relationship between these two hypothesized risk factors and extend previously observed differences between at-risk and low-risk subjects for hypertension to a more naturalistic, interpersonal stressor.
Self-reported affect and autonomic and somatic physiology were studied during three 15-min conversations (events or the day, problem area, pleasant topic) in a sample or 151 couples in long-term marriages. Couples differed in age (40-50 or 60-70) and marital satisfaction (satisfied or dissatisfied). Marital interaction in older couples was associated with more affective positivity and lower physiological arousal (even when controlling for affective differences) than in middle-age couples. As has previously been round with younger couples, marital dissatisfaction was associated with less positive affect, greater negative affect, and greater negative affect reciprocity
Background:Abnormal vascular reactivity and reduced expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene are hallmark of salt-induced hypertension in rats. Although l-arginine is an establis...