Blood pressure may be higher when spending time with a friend than with an enemy, suggests a recent study by a BYU professor.

Julianne Holt-Lunstad, assistant professor of psychology, found blood pressure is higher when interacting with people for who there are mixed or conflicting feelings than when interacting with people for whom there are clearly negative feelings.

The study was published this week in the American Psychological Association's journal, Health Psychology, and co-authored by four researchers from the University of Utah.

"Some of the major causes of high blood pressure are lifestyle and hereditary factors; some of which we cannot change and some of which we can," said Elaine Bond, assistant professor of the BYU College of Nursing.

While gender and ethnicity are factors of high blood pressure that cannot be changed, sedentary lifestyle, diet, exercise and stress are factors people can change, Bond said.

"We sometimes stress ourselves unnecessarily," she said.

Besides eating right, sleeping right and exercising, Bond said eliminating stressors is another way to reduce high blood pressure.

Social interactions and relationships are stressors that can contribute to high blood pressure -- the "silent killer" without symptoms that can lead to stroke, heart attack and kidney or liver failure.

Holt-Lunstad's study sought to answer how interpersonal relationships impact blood pressure and contribute to coronary heart disease.

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death among men and women, Holt-Lunstad said.

"We're interested in the factors that predict this -- including how social relationships affect blood pressure," she said.

Holt-Lunstad said prior research has studied how the number of relationships affects blood pressure, but has not explored the depth of those relationships.

"We're interested in studying the quality of relationships," she said. "Some relationships can cause interpersonal stress, so we can't just lump all our relationships together."

The study found that mixed feelings seem to be more unsettling, at least as related to blood pressure, than outright hostile feelings.

"I would think that the results would be the opposite," said Monique Moore, a BYU student from Champaign, Ill., majoring in fitness and wellness.

In the study, 102 participants wore portable blood pressure monitors for three days.

About five minutes into every social interaction, participants pressed a button to record their blood pressure. Participants also kept detailed diaries of those with whom they interacted each day and answered questions about their feelings toward those people.

Holt-Lunstad said participants' blood pressure was higher when they interacted with people they felt ambivalent toward.

She described an ambivalent person as someone you love and care about and enjoy being with, but also someone who can be very insensitive, demanding and competitive. This could be a boss, a competitive friend or even a mother, she said.

"For a person you feel both positive and negative toward, there could be hope and an expectation for something positive, and then, when you don't get the support you wanted, this can be very distressing," Holt-Lunstad said.

The study also revealed a lower blood pressure when participants interacted with those for whom they had adverse feelings.

"When you're interacting with those you feel aversive or negative toward, these people are predictable and you will either avoid them or you can discount them because you know what to expect from them," Holt-Lunstad said.

Holt-Lunstad offered two pieces of advise about social relationships.

"Don't be an ambivalent friend," she said first.

Secondly, Holt-Lunstad said people should be somewhat strategic in coping with those toward which they have mixed feelings.

"Don't keep going to that friend in situations that you know will be stressful and frustrating for you," she said. "Go to someone you can count on consistently."

Holt-Lunstad also said the study found blood pressure was lower in interactions with immediate family members and spouses than in interactions with other groups of people.

She is collecting data for two more studies to understand if the quality of marriage affects blood pressure, and if social support groups among single adults enhance health and prolong life.

Co-authors with Holt-Lunstad on the study are Bert N. Uchino, Timothy W. Smith, Chrisana B. Cerny and Jill B. Naeley-Moore, all of the Department of Psychology and Health Psychology Program at the University of Utah.



Copyright Brigham Young University 30 Jul 2003