A recent research has suggested that people who experience positive emotions and maintain positivity are less likely to develop any kind of heart disease, as compared to the negative ones.
The research conducted by Penn State analyzed 1,000 patients with coronary heart disease for about a period of five years and observed that patients who reported higher positive psychological states were more likely to be physically active, sleep better, eat better and take their heart medications, and were also less inclined to smoke, in comparison to the patients with lower levels of positive states.
Nancy L Sin, postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Healthy Aging and in the department of bio-behavioural health at Penn State said that “Negative emotions and depression are known to have harmful effects on health, but it is less clear how positive emotions might be health-protective,”.
1) Laughter Makes Blood Flow More Freely
It is found that laughter causes the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels to expand in order to increase blood flow, while stress has the opposite effect, it constricts the blood vessels and reduce the blood flow.
Laughing, keeps your endothelium healthy and thus, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attack. When you laugh, the overall blood flow increases and hence the blood pressure rises; but when you stop laughing, blood pressure drops back to its standard. This relaxing effect helps bring down your blood pressure. This cause deeper breathing, which in turn supplies the body with more oxygenated blood.
2) Hug Relieves Stress
Hugging or cuddling cuts the level of stress hormones gushing through your body by 7 percent, as per a recent study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. Hugging releases the hormone oxytocin into your blood stream. This lowers blood pressure, thereby reducing stress and anxiety.
Oxytocin is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland, that is mainly known for increasing bonding, social behaviour and closeness between couples, parents and children.
3) When You Are Excited Your Heart Gets A Workout
Are your palms sweaty, your heart racing and your brain going crazy ? If you get this feeling when you are excited or meet someone your heart goes crazy for, then know that you have already availed the benefits of exercise. Anything that elevates your heart rate and takes your body outside of its normal comfort zone is exercise.
4) Spending Time With A Loved One Lowers Your Blood Pressure
According to a research in Psychosomatic Medicine, it was found that spending time with your loved ones lowered your blood pressure. Studies also suggest that spending time with a furry friend may check high blood pressure considerably.
One of the study conducted at University of Buffalo tracked a group of hypertensive New York City stockbrokers and found that subjects who owned a pet, in general experienced a greater drop in blood pressure after six months as compared to those who didn’t own a pet. Pets have shown to reduce depression and anxiety which are the two main factors responsible for high blood pressure.
5) Love Letters May Lower Blood Cholesterol
The benefits of writing are well-established. It helps us struggle through complex situations and emotions. It can effectively improve lung function, liver function and lower blood pressure. Writing letter to your loved one to express gratitude, kindness and love seems to have extra ordinary health boosting effects for sure.
In a recent study, in a college, healthy students were divided up into two control groups. One group was asked to write affectionate letters to friends, family, loved ones or romantic partners. The second group also wrote to the same groups of people, but wrote about innocuous topics like day to day topics including weather and all.
The results were amazing, total cholesterol was estimated at the beginning and end for the two control groups. Interestingly, the group that wrote an affectionate letter or love letter saw a significant fall in total cholesterol. The group that wrote a non-affectionate letter saw a rise in cholesterol levels during the same period of time.
6) Holding Hands Calms Nerves
Holding hands calms the nerves, helps soothe anxiety and although faint, you feel a wave of gentleness flowing over you. When you’re holding someone’s hand, parts of your brain responsible for mobilizing your body into action, calms down.
Studies report that holding hands with someone you care about conveys the message that they’re respected and cared for. Further, feeling the touch of a spouse’s hand has shown to substantially reduce stress and calm nerves in women. It’s also been said to lower the risk of depression among the elderly.
“Hand-holding is second nature for kids” when they’re under stress, said James A. Coan, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Virginia, who led the study. “This can also work for adults.”
7) A Positive Attitude Lowers The Risk Of Heart Attack
Optimists do live longer, it’s an age-old proverb, but looking on the positive side of life can be good for your health, scientists said today. Adopting a positive mental attitude, enhances everyday well-being and lowers the risk of suffering a heart attack, requiring surgery and even death.
According to a new study by a group of scientists at University College London, it was found that, after suffering a heart attack or angina, the more pessimistic patients were twice as prone to suffer a more serious health condition in the next four years, in contrast to the most optimistic patients.
