If given the choice, many people would choose not to know how the rest of their life is going to end up. However, many of these same people would not pass up an opportunity to delay their death for at least a little while. When we participate in potentially health harming behaviors, we are doing the exact opposite of delaying death.
A recent study in Behavior Modification questions what causes people to engage in these risky behaviors, and particularly whether or not negative emotions predict alcohol consumption, saturated fat intake, and physical activity in older adults.
Those that participated in the study included 23 older adults, with the average age being 58 that were enrolled in either an in or outpatient executive health program. All of the participants completed a questionnaire focusing on their experience with and expression of anger. The respondents also completed a second questionnaire relating to feelings of depression in relation to how they have felt in the last week. Finally, the subjects completed a health appraisal survey.
Results of these questionnaires compared to other dietary and health evaluations led to results showing that levels of depression, anxiety, and anger all influence health behaviors. High levels of anger and depression proved to be accurate predictors of increased saturated fat intake while these same levels of anger were negatively correlated to the amount of time the participants put towards aerobic exercise per week. The levels of stress and anxiety reported by the participants also pointed to a negative correlation with alcohol consumption.
Previous research has stated that levels of anxiety were positively related to alcohol consumption, a finding that is the exact opposite of the one in this study. One possible cause of this difference in results could be the lack of alcohol consumption in this particular group of participants. While this may be a possible cause, the difference is still intriguing enough to warrant further inquiry from professionals.
The importance of this study lies in the fact that it is one of the first to expose the relationship between anger levels and the expression of this anger as related to health related behaviors. People experiencing such negative emotional states may suffer from lack of motivation to participate in self-improving health techniques.
If other studies continue to elaborate on this one to prove that there really is a strong relationship between anger and poor health habits, then at-risk individuals could be identified. Treatments for these at-risk individuals may include instructions and skills imperative to controlling their anger and managing the way they express their anger as well.
Limits to this study include a small sample size and the reliance of the investigators on the participants to accurately self-report their health behaviors. A more comprehensive study including a wider range of participants as well as covering a larger span of time may produce entirely different results. What is most important, however, is the fact that this subject has been brought up to stimulate further study.
Overall, the findings show the public that negative emotions such as anger and anxiety lead to a decrease in positive health behaviors. More research would be beneficial in understanding the relationship between mental and physical behaviors and could lead to worthwhile interventions and prevention.
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