We all know the effects of high blood pressure: increased heart disease, kidney disease, stroke. Now there is one more thing to add to the mix: Emotional Apathy.
Research shows that increased blood pressure is associated with the deadened ability to pick up on emotional cues. Without the ability to pick up on emotional cues, tension and pain points camouflage into the background. When everything becomes vanilla, finding the insight that foments the next great thing becomes all the more difficult.
So how do you keep your empathic edge?
Research shows there are effective approaches (outside of drugs) that are pretty easy for anyone to implement. Remember the Blood Pressure Control MEME:
Minimize exposure to first and second-hand smoke
Exercise regularly
Meditate
Eat healthy
Humans are wonderful innovation machines, but like any machine, they need to be maintained. Keep an eye on your blood pressure and your ability to see emotions in others will stay sharp – as will your ability to be innovative.
