Striking a chord: moods, blood pressure, and heart rate in everyday life.

The objective of this study was to assess the relation between the intensity of single moods and of mood combinations on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). The subjects were 203 healthy registered nurses, all women, who were studied on two work and two off days. Ambulatory BP and HR were recorded every 20 min. On each occasion subjects rated their moods on a 5-point scale. Graded increases in BP and HR were shown with higher ratings of negative moods and decreases for a mood related to energy level. Little change was observed for a positive mood. These effects depended on concurrent changes in other moods. A positive mood countered the effects of a negative mood, whereas two negative moods resulted in unique patterns of BP and HR. The energy level mood moderated the cardiovascular effects of positive and negative moods. Ambulatory methods provide a way of probing into the nature and consequences of everyday emotional experiences.