High blood pressure, often called hypertension, is a health issue that makes your blood push too hard against your artery walls.
This problem can cause serious diseases like heart disease. But, did you know it might also affect your mood and personality?
The Link Between High Blood Pressure and Neuroticism
A recent study suggests that high blood pressure might lead to a personality trait called neuroticism. People with neuroticism often feel negative emotions, like anxiety and depression.
The study focused on diastolic blood pressure. When a doctor tells you your blood pressure, they say two numbers.
The lower number is the diastolic blood pressure. The researchers found that high diastolic blood pressure might cause people to become more neurotic.
Using Genetics to Understand the Link
How did the researchers find this out? They used a method called Mendelian randomization. This method uses your genes to understand the cause-and-effect relationships between different health factors.
In this case, they looked at the genes that affect blood pressure. About 30% to 60% of your blood pressure is determined by your genes.
They identified over 1,000 genetic changes, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs, linked to blood pressure.
The Research Process and Findings
The team analyzed data from 8 large databases that contained genetic information from people of European descent.
They found that high diastolic blood pressure had a strong impact on neuroticism. However, it did not have a strong impact on anxiety, depression, or general happiness.
Further analysis revealed that over 90% of the link between diastolic blood pressure and neuroticism was based on 1,074 specific SNPs.
The Impact of Neuroticism on Health
Why does this matter? People with neuroticism often worry a lot and feel angry, depressed, or self-conscious. They also feel stressed a lot, which can make their blood pressure go up and lead to heart diseases.
The Importance of Managing Blood Pressure
This study suggests that if we can manage our blood pressure better, we might not only prevent heart disease but also reduce neuroticism and improve mental health.
This important research was conducted by Cai L and his team and was published in the General Psychiatry journal.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about unhealthy habits that could increase high blood pressure risk, and eating eggs in a healthy diet may reduce risks of diabetes, high blood pressure.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and results showing plant-based foods could benefit people with high blood pressure.
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