Skip to main content

The effect of status on blood pressure during verbal communication

Journal of Behavioral Medicine volume 5, pages 165–172 (1982)Cite this article

Abstract

Blood pressures and heart rates of 40 subjects were recorded at 1-min intervals over 35 min during which subjects engaged in a variety of verbal activities with either a high-status or an equal-status experimenter. All subjects showed statistically significant increases in blood pressure and heart rate when speaking compared to when quiet. Blood pressure increases during speaking of the 20 subjects exposed to a high-status experimenter were significantly greater than those of subjects exposed to an equal-status experimenter. While the blood pressure increase was related partly to the act of speaking, the amount of increase was also related to the social distance between experimenter and subject. The results are discussed relative to behavioral interventions for the treatment of hypertension.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  • Julius, S., Ellis, C. N., Pascual, A. V., Matice, M., Hansson, L., Hynoyr, S. N., and Sandier, L. N. (1974). Home blood pressure determination.JAMA 229: 663–666.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laughlin, K. D., Fisher, L., and Sherrard, D. J. (1979). Blood pressure reductions during self-recording of home blood pressure.Am. Heart J. 98: 629–634.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J. J. (1977).The Broken Heart: The Medical Consequences of Loneliness. Basic Books, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J. J., and Convey, W. H. (1979). Loneliness, disease and death.Psychosomatics 20: 702–708.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J. J., Paskewitz, D. A., Gimbel, K. S., and Thomas, S. A. (1977). Psychological aspects of cardiac arrhythmia.Am. Heart J. 93: 645–657.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J. J., Thomas, S. A., Long, J. M., Malinow, K. L., Chickadonz, G., and Katcher, A. H. (1980). Human speech and blood pressure.J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 168: 526–534.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J. J., Long, J. M., Thomas, S. A., Malinow, K. L., and Katcher, A. H. (1981). The effects of talking on the blood pressure of hypertensive and normotensive individuals.Psychosom. Med. 43: 25–33.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J. J., Thomas, S. A., Paskewitz, D. A., Malinow, K. L. and Long, J. M. (1982). Interpersonal aspects of blood pressure control.J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 170: 143–153.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ramsey, M. (1979). Noninvasive automatic determination of mean arterial pressure.Med. Bio. Eng. Comp. 17: 11–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiser, M. F., Reeves, R. B., and Armington, J. (1955). Effect of variations in laboratory procedures and experimenter upon the ballisticardiogram, blood pressure and heart rate in healthy young men.Psychosom. Med. 17: 185–199.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, D. W., Honour, A. J., Fenton, G. W., Stott, F. H., and Pickering, G. W. (1965). Variation in arterial pressure throughout the day and night.Clin. Sci. 26: 445–460.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverberg, D. S., and Rosenfeld, J. B. (1980). The effect of quiet conversation on the blood pressure of hypertensive patients.Isr. Med. Sci. 16: 41–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Surwit, R. S., Shapiro, D., and Good, M. I. (1977). Comparison of cardiovascular biofeedback, neuromuscular biofeedback, and mediatation on the treatment of borderline essential hypertension.J. App. Behav. Anal. 10: 252–263.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, S. A., Lynch, J. J., and Mills, M. E. (1975). Psychosocial influences on heart rhythm in the coronary care unit.Heart Lung. 4: 746–750.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ulrych, M. (1969). Changes in general hemodynamics during stressful mental arithmetic and non-stressing quiet conversation, and modification and the latter by beta-adrenergic blockage.Clin. Sci. 36: 453–461.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weiner, H. (1979).Psychobiology of Essential Hypertension, Elsevier, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R. B., Kimball, C. P., and Willard, H. N. (1972). The influence of interpersonal interaction on diastolic blood pressure.Psychosom. Med. 34: 194–198.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yelderman, M., and Ream, A. D. (1979). Indirect measurement of mean blood pressure in the anesthetized patient.Anesthesiology 50: 253–256.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychophysiological Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 21201, Baltimore, Maryland

    Jack M. Long, James J. Lynch & Kenneth L. Malinow

  2. Arbutus Walk-In-Clinic, 21227, Baltimore, Maryland

    N. M. Machiran

  3. School of Nursing, University of Maryland, 21201, Baltimore, Maryland

    Sue A. Thomas

Authors
  1. Jack M. Long
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. James J. Lynch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. N. M. Machiran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sue A. Thomas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Kenneth L. Malinow
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of Maynard Ramsey, M.D., Ph.D., Vice President of Research and Development, Applied Medical Research, and Bernard F. Krause, Ph.D., of Critikon for providing the Dinamap digital blood pressure monitor used in this study and for providing technical information about the device.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Long, J.M., Lynch, J.J., Machiran, N.M. et al. The effect of status on blood pressure during verbal communication. J Behav Med 5, 165–172 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00844806

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00844806

Key words

  • blood pressure
  • status
  • communication
  • social distance