From Deseret News archives:
Your mixed-feeling friends may be bad for your health
BYU-U. study finds such relationships can increase stress
The study is being published today in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. The researchers found that "unpredictable and ambivalent friendships" raise blood pressure, possibly because they are a source of stress, while more positive friendships help you deal with stress. Next, they hope to study whether those ambivalent friendships can contribute to cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure or clogged arteries.
That's important information, according to Julianne Holt-Lunstad, an assistant professor of psychology at BYU, because about half of most people's relationships are somewhat ambivalent.
"Our friends can be our best allies and our harshest critics," John Cacioppo, president of the Association for Psychological Science and a University of Chicago professor who was not involved in the research, was quoted in a release about the research. "This research demonstrates that a more sophisticated conceptualization of our social relationships provides richer information about their impact on our health."
For this study, the researchers led by Holt-Lunstad and the U. psychology department's Bert Uchino, associate professor, and Timothy W. Smith, professor got about 100 people to each list 10 friends, then answer questions about them, ranging from how long they've known each other and how often they see them to how helpful that person is during times of stress or how supportive, among other questions. Based on that information, the researchers rated the friendships as supportive or ambivalent
They were looking for mid-ground ambivalence, friends who score at least a three out of six in terms of positive feeling but who also are somewhat upsetting.
Then they specified which friend to bring in for the study either supportive or conflicted without saying why.
The two were asked some questions in the lab, mostly to get them used to the setting, since it's not where friends normally hang out, Holt-Lunstad said. Then they were separated by a curtain and told to relax and not talk so that the researchers could establish baseline cardiovascular measures.
Comments
- Should districts pay union reps? 7:12 p.m.
- I-80 reconstruction finally done 6:55 p.m.
- Child porn case nets fed sentence 6:44 p.m.
- Groups celebrate Dobbs' CNN exit 6:43 p.m.
- H1N1 slightly down in Utah 6:40 p.m.
- Retirement fund still seeking money 6:39 p.m.
- Judge to send message in mink case 6:37 p.m.
- Man arrested in armed robbery 6:35 p.m.
- Smoking up nationally, down in Utah 5:36 p.m.
- 4A: Springville holds off Dixie 5:28 p.m.
- House passes health care bill
333 - SLC council OKs gay rights policies
315 - TCU showdown has big implications
195 - Senators want food tax restored
158 - Cougars crush hapless Cowboys
155 - Will state consider gay rights law?
136 - Editorial: Mormons and gay rights
132 - Utah Jazz fall apart against Kings
131 - TCU 4th in AP poll; U. 16th, Y. 22nd
119 - Letters: Strange breed in Utah
118
One of my guilty pleasures is perusing the covers of celebrity magazines...
The galactic center shines like firelight through gaps in …
Suggestion: put WHATEVER SYSTEMS ARE NECESSARY in place to deport illegals,...
I'd like to know what Whaddoups is thinking. If only I could talk to him...
byron scott just got fired i wonder if the millers have any guts and send...
"....passionate, nonpartisan reporting that CNN wants for its image."...
"The deficit for the 2009 budget year, which ended on Sept. 30, set an...
like he is about ready to go into shock.......LOL!!
Anonymous... are you joking or just horribly uninformed? Also, BYU North...
Yes, marriage is on shaky ground. So why touch it to see how far it will...
Sorry you guys missed out on the 7-2 kid out of Canada who will sign tomarrow...
Save the Drama for your mama. Turning America into a communist country and...


You can be the first to comment on this story.