Science

Reflecting on Past Angry Memories Can Directly Affect the Health of Your Blood Vessels

May 06, 2024

By Devendra Narayan, PhD.

Stock image from DepositPhotos

A randomized controlled study found that provoked anger acutely impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation, a key measure of vascular health.
Reflecting on past angry memories led to a temporary reduction in blood vessel dilation, persisting for as long as 40 minutes following the emotional stimulus.
These findings suggest that the cardiovascular risk associated with anger may be primarily driven by direct effects on endothelial function, rather than endothelial cell damage or impaired regeneration.

Negative emotions like anger, anxiety, and sadness are often associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the underlying biological mechanisms linking these emotional states to vascular health have remained elusive.

A new study [1] published in the Journal of the American Heart Association provides important insights into how acute experiences of negative emotions can impact the health of the vascular endothelium - the inner lining of blood vessels.

The study, led by researchers at Columbia University, was a randomized controlled trial that examined the effects of provoked anger, anxiety, and sadness on measures of endothelial cell (EC) function and health.

The researchers recruited 280 healthy, young adults and randomly assigned them to one of four conditions: anger induction, anxiety induction, sadness induction, or a neutral control task.

The researchers used established techniques to induce the target emotional states for a period of 8 minutes. For anger and anxiety, participants were asked to recall personal memories that would evoke those feelings. For sadness, participants read descriptors designed to elicit a sad mood. The neutral control group simply counted aloud from 1 to 100 repeatedly for 8 minutes.

The key findings of the study were:

Anger induction led to a significant impairment in endothelium-dependent vasodilation (EDV), a measure of the ability of blood vessels to dilate in response to increased blood flow. This effect was not seen in the other emotion induction groups or the neutral control group.
In contrast, the emotion inductions did not have any acute effects on circulating endothelial microparticles (EMPs) - markers of endothelial cell injury, or endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) - cells involved in endothelial repair and regeneration.
The changes in blood pressure and heart rate were greater in the anger and anxiety induction groups compared to the neutral control, but these hemodynamic effects did not mediate the impact of anger on EDV.

These results provide important new evidence that the acute experience of anger, but not anxiety or sadness, can directly impair the function of the vascular endothelium. Importantly, this effect was observed even when compared to a neutral control condition, suggesting that it was the anger provocation itself led to the endothelial dysfunction.

The findings build on the researchers' previous work, which had shown similar impairments in EDV following anger provocation in a smaller, non-randomized study.

By including the neutral control condition in the current study, the researchers were able to rule out potential confounding factors and demonstrate a clear, causal link between anger and endothelial dysfunction.

The underlying biological pathways linking anger to impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation (EDV) are not fully understood. Activation of the autonomic nervous system, particularly the sympathetic nervous system, is associated with impaired EDV . Other potential mechanisms include dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, reduced nitric oxide bioavailability, oxidative stress, increased arterial inflammation, and elevated endothelin-1, all of which are linked to psychological stress and contribute to endothelial dysfunction.

Overall, this study provides important new insights into the acute cardiovascular effects of negative emotions, particularly anger. The findings underscore the need for greater attention to the role of emotional factors in cardiovascular health and disease. Developing interventions that target anger management may be a promising approach for reducing the cardiovascular risk associated with this emotion.

Breathing and Mindfulness Techniques to Cope with Anger

When you feel that red-hot anger bubbling up, try these simple breathing and mindfulness techniques to help calm your mind and body:

Diaphragmatic Breathing: Sit or stand comfortably and place one hand on your belly. Slowly inhale through your nose, feeling your belly expand. Exhale slowly through your mouth, letting your belly fall. Repeat this deep, slow breathing for 5-10 cycles.
Mindful Observation: Notice the physical sensations of anger in your body, such as muscle tension, increased heart rate, or a flushed face. Observe these sensations with curiosity and without judgment, letting them pass like clouds in the sky.
Mantra Meditation: Silently repeat a calming word or phrase, such as "I am calm" or "Peace," to redirect your mind away from the anger-provoking thoughts. Continue this for 2-3 minutes.

By incorporating these simple practices into your daily life, you can learn to better manage anger and protect the health of your blood vessels.

References

[1] Daichi Shimbo, Morgan T. Cohen, Matthew McGoldrick, Ipek Ensari, Keith M. Diaz, Jie Fu, Andrea T. Duran, Shuqing Zhao, Jerry M. Suls, Matthew M. Burg and William F. Chaplin. Translational Research of the Acute Effects of Negative Emotions on Vascular Endothelial Health: Findings From a Randomized Controlled Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2024;13:e032698. DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.123.032698

About the Author

Devendra Narayan is a scientist, yoga teacher, breathworker, scholar and founder of Cultivate Prana Academy. Cultivate Prana's mission is to empower modern day healers through education that integrates ancient wisdom and modern science.