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Losing your temper from time to time is part of the human experience, and it\u2019s well documented that chronic anger is linked to cardiovascular disease<\/a>. New research, however, suggests the mere recollection of a time you were angry may be harmful to your heart.<\/p>\n Spending several minutes ruminating on a past situation that made you angry can interfere with your blood vessels\u2019 ability to relax, thereby impeding blood flow, according to a study published in May in the Journal of the American Heart Association<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cImpaired vascular function is linked to an increased risk of heart attack<\/a> and stroke<\/a>,\u201d lead author Dr. Daichi Shimbo<\/a>, a professor in the Division of Cardiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center<\/a>, said in a news release<\/a>. \u201cObservational studies have linked feelings of negative emotions with having a heart attack or other cardiovascular disease events. The most common negative emotion studied is anger, and there are fewer studies on anxiety and sadness<\/a>, which have also been linked to heart attack risk.\u201d<\/p>\n Shimbo and his colleagues explored the effects of anger, anxiety, and sadness on blood vessel function. The 280 people in the randomized controlled study were assigned one of these emotional tasks<\/a> for eight minutes:\u00a0<\/p>\n Prior to beginning their respective assignments, participants were instructed to relax for 30 minutes\u2014in comfortable chairs in a temperature-controlled room\u2014without talking or using their phones. They also weren\u2019t allowed to read or sleep. Next, researchers collected blood samples and measured participants\u2019 heart rate, blood pressure, and blood vessel dilation. Finger probes helped assess arterial blood flow.<\/p>\n Immediately after the emotional task, researchers examined the cells lining participants\u2019 blood vessels, keeping an eye out for increased cell injury, impaired blood vessel dilation, and reduced cell repair capacity. The team repeated these assessments after three, 40, 70, and 100 minutes.<\/p>\n People in the anger group showed impaired blood vessel dilation up to 40 minutes after recalling a time they were enraged. Previous research<\/a> shows such impairment may increase risk of atherosclerosis<\/a>\u2014a condition where plaque builds up in the arteries, heightening chances of stroke and heart disease<\/a>. In this study, though, the damage was no longer detected after 40 minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw that evoking an angered state led to blood vessel dysfunction, though we don\u2019t yet understand what may cause these changes,\u201d Shimbo said. \u201cInvestigation into the underlying links between anger and blood vessel dysfunction may help identify effective intervention targets for people at increased risk of cardiovascular events.\u201d<\/p>\n People in the anxiety and sadness groups didn\u2019t demonstrate any statistically significant changes in their blood vessel linings. Shimbo and his team stressed that future research shouldn\u2019t group negative emotions together in their associations with higher heart disease risk.<\/p>\n All participants were adults residing in the New York City area, with an average age of 26. They self-identified as 50% female, 40% white, 29% Hispanic\/Latino, 19% Asian, and 14% Black. All were \u201chealthy,\u201d here meaning free of certain medical conditions including stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and mental illness. They were also nonsmokers who weren\u2019t taking any prescription medications or dietary supplements.\u00a0<\/p>\n Because of these factors, it\u2019s \u201cunclear whether the results would apply to older adults with other health conditions, who would most likely be taking medications,\u201d Shimbo said. Another limitation is the study was conducted in a controlled health care environment, as opposed to a real-world setting. Future research may study longer-term effects of anger, anxiety, sadness, and other negative emotions.<\/p>\n The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)<\/a> funded the study. Its findings fill a longstanding knowledge gap in how anger negatively impacts the heart, NHLBI psychologist Laurie Friedman Donze, PhD<\/a>, said in another news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt also opens the door to promoting anger management interventions as a way to potentially help stave off heart disease, the leading cause of death in this country,\u201d Donze said.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re aware your anger is frequent, severe, and negatively impacting your relationships and quality of life, a licensed mental health care provider can help you get back on the right track. In addition, the American Psychological Association recommends these and other anger management tips<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n
Negative emotions not tied to heart disease risk the same way<\/h2>\n
Tips to manage your anger<\/h2>\n
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