Negative Social Interactions Increase Hypertension Risk In Older Adults, Carnegie Mellon Researchers Find

Press Release: Negative Social Interactions Increase Hypertension Risk In Older Adults, Carnegie Mellon Researchers Find-Carnegie Mellon News - Carnegie Mellon University. Women More Affected By Negative Social Interactions Than Men : Shilo Rea / 412-268-6094 / shilo [a] cmu (p) edu PITTSBURGH—Keeping your friends close and your enemies closer may not be the best advice if you are 50 or older. New research from Carnegie Mellon University's Rodlescia Sneed and Sheldon Cohen shows that unpleasant or demanding interpersonal encounters increase hypertension risk among older adults. Published in the American Psychological Association's Health Psychology Journal, the study provides some of the first concrete evidence that negative social interactions not only influence psychological well-being but also physical health — in this case, blood pressure levels. Hypertension affects an estimated 65 million Americans and is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. "This demonstrates how important social networks are as we age — constructing strong, positive relationships are beneficial to prolonged health," said Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty University Professor of Psychology in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. For the study, Sneed and Cohen used data from the Health and Retirement Study, a multi-year survey of 1,502 healthy adults aged 50 and over. In 2006, the frequency of negative interactions — exchanges or behaviors that involved excessive demands, criticism, disappointment or other unpleasantness — with their partners, children, other family members and friends was assessed by questionnaire.