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Researchers and scientists have found out that prolonged negative emotions are the cause for many health problems, and that those who know how to transform negative emotions into positive ones, are less likely to have health troubles.

Usually, strong emotions come and go, and normal physiological equilibrium is restored, but when emotional stressers last for long periods of time, they can tilt the stability of chemicals in brain and body and affect the health in a bad way.

A study published in the November/December 2006 issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine suggests emotional factors can affect resistance to cold and flu symptoms.

Researchers interviewed 193 healthy volunteers daily for two weeks about the positive and negative emotions they had experienced each day, following which the participants were exposed  to a cold or flu virus.

The results showed that fewer positive-thinkers became infected, and positive thinkers who did become infected had less pronounced symptoms than subjects with more negative emotions.

“Positive emotions are thought to be beneficial to health. But when we experience negative emotions in excess, they can be physically and psychologically harmful. Chronic excess anger, for example, is linked to a higher risk of hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. For this reason, it’s important to strive to stabilise your emotions,” said Darin D Dougherty, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital. 

“The good news is that we can minimise health problems associated with emotional stressors by seeking out circumstances that make us feel positive, avoiding as much as possible situations that cause us distress, and by using stress reduction techniques to address the stresses that we can’t control,” Dougherty added.

The mind/body emotions are conscious mental states that arise instinctively in reaction to situations (or memories of situations) in the environment, and usually manifest themselves in behavioural and physiological changes.

When emotional stressors such as anger or loneliness affect the body over a long period of time, they can affect the health of vulnerable individuals.

Such prolonged stress is associated with a variety of disorders, including metabolic syndrome (a precursor to type 2 diabetes characterized by insulin resistance, hypertension and elevated levels of unhealthy LDL cholesterol), cardiovascular problems, confusion, poor memory, allergies, ulcers, functional bowel disorders, insomnia and rapid aging.

“If you find you can’t manage your emotions on your own, it’s important to get help,” Dr Dougherty says. “There are effective therapies available that can help you reduce unhealthy stress and restore a sense of calm and control to your life.”

Researchers suggest that relaxation techniques like yoga, deep-breathing exercises, meditation and visualization can help reduce emotional stress.

Also, vigorous physical activity such as raking leaves, doing housework or going for a brisk walk, are good techniques for establishing emotional balance.