The Varied Impact of Social Support on Cardiovascular Reactivity

Two experiments examine the hypothesis that the effect of social support on cardiovascular reactivity depends on participants' evaluative concerns and their motivation for task performance. In both experiments, heart rate and blood pressure were recorded while participants gave a speech to either a supportive or nonsupportive audience, with the experimenter either present or absent. Experiment 1 showed that support decreased performer reactivity relative to nonsupport when the experimenter was present, whereas support increased reactivity when the experimenter was absent. Experiment 2 replicated this pattern and helped clarify interpretation of the results. The results may help resolve inconsistencies in previous support and reactivity literature, and suggest that social support may not always improve health by lowering cardiovascular reactivity.