Cardiovascular Responses during Speech: Does Social Support Mediate the Effects of Talking on Blood Pressure?'

Abstract

Research by James J. Lynch and his colleagues demonstrates that as people speak, their blood pressure rises. Factors which accelerate or diminish this association include the social status of the listener, rate of speaking and resting blood pressure level. Another group of studies indicates that people high in social support are buffered from the negative health consequences of stressful life events. Is talking a stressor? Does social support mediate the effects of talking on blood pressure? Using procedures similar to those of Lynch, the study compared the cardiovascular responses of people high and low in perceived satisfaction with support provided by social contacts. Analysis of variance and simple correlations indicated that cardiovascular reactivity during both resting and talking states was negatively associated with social support.