Stress and cardiovascular reactivity

Abstract

The response of the cardiovascular system to stressful situations has long been considered to have implications for health outcomes. Both exaggerated and diminished cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stressors have serious consequences for health. This chapter will compare and discuss research on both high and low cardiovascular responses to psychological stress. Exaggerated reactions are associated with the development of hypertension, markers of systemic atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease. Blunted or low reactivity is related to depression, obesity, and a range of addictions. It has been proposed that an interaction between genetics and the environment contributes to individ-uals' reactivity to stress. The objective of this chapter is to explore cutting-edge research on the pathways to the development of disease via alterations in stress reactivity. It will also highlight some of the key environmental, social, and mechanistic pathways from high and low cardiovascular reactivity to health and ill health in later life and potential research and clinical implications.