Uncovering a hidden language: The effects of listening and talking on blood pressure and heart rate

Listening and talking are essential to everyday life and especially to successful nursing interventions. Whereas the cardiovascular changes that occur during talking have been extensively documented, those that occur during listening have not been studied. Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were measured in healthy men (N = 54) and women (N = 55) while they listened and talked. Talking resulted in significant increases in both BP and HR; although also significant, increases during listening were of a lesser magnitude. These cardiovascular changes were affected by the order of the dialogue activities (talking or listening first) and by gender.