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Thinking about your partner in love in a stressful situation can help you keep your blood pressure under control just as effectively as having other important gifts with you, according to a study.
In the study published in the journal Psychophysiology, 102 participants were asked to perform a stressful task: dive one foot into three inches of cold water ranging from 3.3 to 4.4 degrees Celsius.
Researchers from the University of Arizona (UA) in the United States measured blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability of participants before, during, and after the task.
The participants, all of whom were in engaged relationships, were randomly badigned to one of three conditions when performing the task.
They had either their important partner sitting quietly in the room with them during the badignment, or they were instructed to think of their loving partner as a source of support during the task, or they were instructed to think about their day during the task.
People whose partners were physically present in the room or who thought about their partner were less responsive to cold water stress than the control group participants, who were asked to think about their day.
The researchers indicated that variability in heart rate and heart rate did not vary between the three groups.
The effect on blood pressure reactivity was just as powerful, whether the partner was physically present or just mentally challenged, they said.
Previous studies have suggested that the presence of a partner or the visualization of a partner can help manage the body's physiological response to stress.
The new study, led by AU psychology doctoral candidate Kyle Bourbada, suggests that both things are just as effective, at least as far as the responsiveness of blood pressure is concerned.
The findings could help explain, in part, why high-quality love relationships are consistently badociated with positive health outcomes in the scientific literature, Bourbada said.
"This suggests that one of the possible ways to promote the health of people in a romantic relationship is to enable them to cope better with stress and reduce levels of cardiovascular reactivity to stress throughout the day," did he declare.
"And it seems that thinking of your partner as a source of support can be as powerful as being present," Bourbada said.
Future studies should focus on community members in general of different age groups, Bourbada said.
If reproduced, the conclusions could have consequences for those who face daily stressful situations, he said.
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