High blood pressure is not just a number your doctor checks during a visit. It can affect both your body and your emotions. New research suggests that blood pressure might even shape parts of your personality.
When doctors measure blood pressure, they look at two numbers. The top number is called systolic pressure, and the bottom number is called diastolic pressure. Diastolic pressure is the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart is resting between beats.
Researchers have found that this lower number—diastolic pressure—may be linked to how we feel and react emotionally.
One personality trait they studied is called neuroticism. People with high levels of neuroticism often feel anxious, sad, or upset more often than others. They may also worry more or get frustrated easily.
To study this, scientists used a method called Mendelian randomization. This means they used genetic information to see how blood pressure might affect emotions. Since our genes can influence blood pressure, the researchers used data from thousands of people to look for patterns.
They found something interesting: people with higher diastolic blood pressure were more likely to have high levels of neuroticism. However, they didn’t find strong links between blood pressure and general anxiety or depression, which was surprising.
This shows that the link between heart health and emotional health is more complex than we once thought. People who feel stressed or upset often might have higher blood pressure, which can increase their risk of heart problems. It can become a cycle—negative emotions can lead to health problems, and those health problems can cause more stress.
The good news is that managing your blood pressure might help not just your heart but also your emotional well-being. Lowering blood pressure could possibly reduce neurotic feelings, help you feel calmer, and improve your mood.
This research, led by Cai L and his team and published in the journal General Psychiatry, helps us understand how closely our minds and bodies are connected. It shows that taking care of our physical health may also help us feel better emotionally.
So, keeping your blood pressure under control might do more than protect your heart—it could help you feel more balanced, less stressed, and more emotionally healthy too.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and natural coconut sugar could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness.
For more health information, please see recent studies about added sugar in your diet linked to higher blood pressure, and results showing vitamin D could improve blood pressure in people with diabetes.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
