Summary of A Simple Way To Reduce the Consequences of Stress?:
A recent study has found that practicing gratitude can help reduce the impact of acute psychological stress and improve cardiovascular health. Researchers from Irish universities discovered that gratitude has a unique stress-buffering effect against the initial reactions to and recovery from acute psychological stress. The study also found that affect balance amplifies the impact of state gratitude. The findings suggest that gratitude may constitute a useful point of intervention for the improvement of cardiovascular health.
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Practicing Gratitude Can Help Buffer Effects of Acute Psychological Stress, Study Finds
Stress is an inevitable part of life and can significantly impair mental well-being. Therefore, finding ways to reduce the impact of stress is crucial. A recent study has found that practicing gratitude can help buffer the effects of acute psychological stress.
According to the researchers, gratitude can provide a unique protective buffer against acute psychological stress.
Gratitude has a unique stress-buffering effect…
In a study involving 68 adults, researchers from Irish universities discovered that gratitude has a unique stress-buffering effect against the initial reactions to and recovery from acute psychological stress. This unique ability may play a role in improving cardiovascular health.
Given that stress can adversely affect human health and well-being, including causing high blood pressure and increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, it is essential to understand our responses to stress and identify potential factors that can act as adequate stress buffers.
Impact on cardiovascular recovery from acute psychological stress
In the paper, which was recently published in the Journal of Psychophysiology, Brian Leavy, Brenda H. O’Connell, and Deirdre O’Shea propose that, although previous research suggests that gratitude and affect-balance play critical stress-buffering roles, to date, little has been known about the impact of these variables on cardiovascular recovery from acute psychological stress.
That was the focus of the study by the researchers from the Universities of Maynooth and Limerick in Ireland, who also sought to find out whether affect balance moderates the relationship between gratitude and cardiovascular reactions to acute psychological stress.
The Irish University of Maynooth research involved 68 undergraduate students (24 male and 44 female) aged between 18 and 57 years. This study used a within-subjects experimental design with lab tasks in which stress was induced on participants, and then cardiovascular reactivity and recovery in response to this were measured.
State gratitude predicted lower systolic blood pressure responses.
The results showed that state gratitude predicted more inadequate systolic blood pressure responses throughout the stress-testing period, which means that the state of gratitude has a unique stress-buffering effect on both reactions to and recovery from acute psychological stress. It was also found that affect balance amplifies the impact of state gratitude.
Practicing gratitude can contribute to well-being…
These findings have clinical utility as several low-cost gratitude interventions can contribute to well-being. For example, previous research has shown how cardiac patients who use gratitude journals have better cardiovascular outcomes than those who do not. Combined with the results of this study and previous work, gratitude may thus constitute a valuable point of intervention for the improvement of our cardiovascular health.
In conclusion, the study shows that practicing gratitude can help reduce the impact of stress and improve cardiovascular health. While stress is inevitable, finding ways to reduce its impact is crucial for maintaining physical and mental well-being. Practicing gratitude is a simple and low-cost way to achieve this.
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