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Can Spending Money Lower Blood Pressure?

Can Spending Money Lower Blood Pressure?
April 15
11:17 2016

You’ve probably heard that volunteering or doing something nice for someone else can boost your mood, but did you know it improves physical health, too?

The February edition of Health Psychology included an article entitled “Is Spending Money on Others Good For Your Heart?” The researchers behind this article concluded that spending money on other people led to lower blood pressure.

Ashley Whillans, an author of the study, explained that two studies were conducted to support this finding. In one group, participants were “prescribed” to spend a specified amount of money on others. After two years, participants showed lower blood pressure than the other group. The other study consisted of two groups, one who were asked to spend money on themselves and the second group, who were asked to spend on other people. The second group saw drops in blood pressure comparable to what would happen after taking blood pressure medication or beginning a new exercise regimen!

How can you take advantage of this finding in your own life?

  • The study found that giving to people who were close to you was the most effective in terms of reducing blood pressure.
  • Don’t put yourself in a bad financial situation by giving to others. Only give what you can afford to give.
  • Budget ahead of time for gifts so that you can give them without feeling guilty about spending money. This will allow you to actually enjoy the process of buying and giving a gift, and prevent you from stressing out over finances.

 

 

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Mina Sinai

Mina Sinai

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