Study shows keeping emotions bottled up can be unhealthy

As those who buy Effexor to treat anxiety can attest, stress can be both psychologically and physically taxing. One cause of stress for many is "bottling up" emotions, and a new study by German researchers has found that the expression of such feelings may play a role in general well-being and longevity.

Marcus Mund and Kristin Mitte of the University of Jena recently studied over 6,000 participants to gauge the effects of the release (or lack of release) of emotions. A key finding was that those who kept their feelings inside were likely to see a raise in their heart rate and pulse.

"They avoid risks and always seek a high level of control over themselves and their surroundings," noted Mund. "For instance, when exposed to a stressful task, they exhibit a higher heart rate and pulse ratio than non-repressors and show other objective signs of stress and anxiety."

The research team concluded that properly expressing emotions, whether good or bad, could add two years to a person's lifespan. Those who tend to keep things bottled up, however, were also found to have strong recovery rates for other conditions due to their sense of discipline. The findings were recently featured in the journal Health Psychologies.