Subjective Social Status and Cardiovascular Reactivity: An Experimental Examination

Frontiers in Psychology

Karoline Pieritz¹ 

关键词: subjective social status;    cardiovascular reactivity;    blood pressure;    heart rate variability;    cardiovascular health;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01091

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

The present experiment examined the causal influence of subjective social status (SSS) on variables related to cardiovascular health [i.e., blood pressure, heart rate variability (HRV)]. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions involving a social comparison that either induced a temporary shift toward high SSS or toward low SSS. Cardiovascular variables were measured before (baseline), throughout, and after the manipulation (recovery). Participants in the low SSS condition had a significantly lower HRV during experimental manipulation than at baseline (p = 0.001). They also showed a significantly stronger HRV reactivity compared to participants in the high SSS condition (p = 0.027). Our results suggest that already temporary shifts of one's SSS have measureable effects on cardiovascular variables. They support the notion that social status plays a causal role in the development of cardiovascular disease.

【 授权许可】

CC BY