(Health): High Blood Pressure May Contribute to Neurotic Behavior

 

Neuroticism is a personality trait characterized by a tendency to experience negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, mental stress, anger, guilt, and depression. Research shows that it is associated with worse health outcomes.

According to Angelina Sutin, PhD, a professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine at Florida State University in Tallahassee, “Individuals who score higher in neuroticism tend to be at greater risk of developing chronic disease including cardiovascular disease and other diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and they are at an increased risk of premature mortality”. 

In addition, she said, “neuroticism is the strongest personality predictor of mental health disorders, which can contribute to poor physical health outcomes.”

Specifically, high diastolic blood pressure is likely to cause neuroticism, suggests the results of a large-scale genetic study recently published in the journal General Psychiatry.

Researchers looked at four traits of blood pressure; systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, and high blood pressure. They also examined four psychological states — anxiety, depressive symptoms, neuroticism, and subjective well-being.

Their analysis showed that diastolic blood pressure had “significant causal effects” on neuroticism but not on anxiety, depressive symptoms, or subjective well-being.

The other blood pressure traits had no association with the four psychological states.

Blood pressure is expressed as a measurement with two numbers, one number on top (systolic) and one on the bottom (diastolic). For example, 120/80 mm Hg.

Systolic blood pressure represents the pressure in the blood vessels when the heart contracts.

In contrast, diastolic is the pressure of the blood vessels between contractions of the heart, when the vessels are relaxed.

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