Some effects of emotion on the normal and abnormal heart

Increased heart rate and catecholamine secretion are induced by certain emotions. Automobile driving in busy city traffic, racing driving, speaking before an audience, and parachute jumping are associated with sinus tachycardia 120-180 per minute, and increase in the plasma levels of adrenaline and/or noradrenaline. Electrocardiographic changes, chiefly ST depression, may occur in a small proportion of persons without ischemic symptoms and with normal resting tracings. Patients with clinical coronary disease, angina, and ischemic ST changes and arrhythmias may be induced by the emotional stimuli associated with car driving and public speaking; plasma catecholamine levels are increased in proportion to the intensity of the stimulus. beta-blockade reduces the tachycardia, and prevents in whole or in part the ST changes, arrhythmia and symptoms associated with emotional challenge to the heart. We would like to leave the reader with a final morsel of food for thought. Emotion may parallel exercise in its ability to accelerate the heart rate up to 180 per minute in healthy subjects, comparable to the maximum reached during physical exertion. Thus, there are good grounds to advise persons at risk not only against violent exercise but also against exposing themselves to intense emotion. At the same time, we would not advocate emotional overprotection, and we believe our ideas would be misinterpreted if healthy persons were to be deterred on the grounds of apprehension or nervousness from facing up to reasonable everyday professional or social challenges.