6 Surprising Ways Your Emotions Impact Your Heart Health

GE Privacy

Introduction: protecting your privacy, enhancing your online experience

When it comes to data privacy, protecting your personal information is most important. We feel it’s also important to give you, your colleagues, and your family members a voice in the development of this web site and your overall experience with it. To do this, we need to collect certain types of information to help us evaluate how the HealthAhead web site is being used, so we can continually improve your experience and the content we offer to you. By tracking overall usage patterns, providing an easy channel for your feedback, and allowing you to tell us what content is most useful to you, we can refine our offerings and provide more of the content you personally find valuable.

Overall, we are committed to giving you the option to participate – or not participate – in a manner that’s right for you. Read more for how we do this.

Information we collect and how we use it

Identifiable Information Collecting

All methods of identifying yourself to GE will be optional and opt-in, may be updated by you at any time, and will not be required for all areas of the web site.

We will not collect any identifiable user information from the areas of the HealthAhead web site which do not require SSO (Single Sign On), unique User ID (Identification), and/or Password.

There are areas of the web site that require you to identify yourself to us (authenticate). This allows you to access certain parts of the web site that may otherwise be restricted for privacy and security purposes.

There are also areas that may provide the option to create a personalized profile. The information you provide is optional and what you tell us will determine the level of personalization you will experience.

Access to identifiable information is restricted to internal, administrative personnel and solely for purposes of providing web site support, awarding prizes and other recognition, and customizing the web site content and overall functionality for the user. However, we will also allow you to change your mind and opt-out of sharing personal information with us at any time.

Non-Identifiable Information Collecting

When you visit the HealthAhead web site, we track, collect and report on certain aggregate and non- identifiable information. In other words, the information we collect does not relate to a single identifiable visitor. It tells us things such as how many users visited our web site and what pages they viewed.

This non-identifiable data will be collected and stored in a secure database in the U.S., and may be viewed by GE. We will analyze this information to refine our web site to better reflect user preferences, such as the type of content users are searching for most, and to improve the usability of the web site and the user’s web site experience. The information may also be used for purposes of promoting the web site. The data will not be used for medical analysis or other medical purposes.

Cookies

Like many web sites, the HealthAhead web site uses browser cookies – bits of text placed on your computer’s hard drive when you visit. We use them to tell us things like whether you’ve visited us before, and to help us identify features in which you may have the greatest interest. We also use cookies to track country and language selection.

In the future, we may use cookies to track additional details, such as city and state.

We keep this information unless you don’t wish GE to capture this and choose to delete your cookie history. If you wish to stop accepting new browser cookies, get notification when you receive a new cookie, or disable existing cookies, the “help” portion of the toolbar on most browsers will tell you how. Keep in mind, without browser cookies, you may not be able to take full advantage of all our web site features or have your preferences saved for future visits.

We also use Flash cookies on the web site to enhance your online experience. These are similar to browser cookies, but they store data more complex than simple text. Flash cookies, by themselves, cannot do anything to or with the data on your computer. In addition, Flash cookies cannot access or remember your email address or other personal information unless you provide the information on this web site.

Web Beacons

Certain pages on our web site contain “web beacons” (also known as Internet tags, pixel tags and clear GIFs). These web beacons obtain information such as the time the page was viewed, the type of browser used to view the page, and the information in cookies. Web beacon data does not include IP address. The web beacon data is stored at Google Analytics, a third party (see ‘Tracking and Reporting’ for more information on this technology).

Tracking and Reporting

Specifically we will track, collect and report on the following data using software from Google Analytics. For more information about Google Analytics, including information about how to opt out of these technologies, go to www.google-analytics.com

Our primary metrics include: Poll response rate, repeat visits, number of times content is shared, and visits by country.

The sub-metrics include:

Most Popular Content Types, Most Popular Content Topics, User Pathing, Exit Links, Bounce Rate, Traffic by Source (region), Time on Web site, Visit Time of Day, Unique Views/Page Views, Thumps Up/Down, Most Shared Content, Number of Times Content is Rated, Most Rated Content by Type, Language Selection.

We will also be tracking how much communicators, web site leaders and other HealthAhead operations teams are leveraging the web site to support and align their business, regional and web site specific efforts. Some of these metrics may be tracked using existing support central tools.

These metrics may include:

Number of Content Submissions by Region, Number of non-corporate Driven Promotions by RCs, Number of Promotional Downloads by Region, Support Central Survey

Feedback Form

Your feedback is important to the web site’s ongoing development, so we’d love to hear your opinions and ideas. To contact us, please use this Feedback form. We will not be able to respond directly, but all feedback will be reviewed, evaluated, and factored into future content decisions. Please note: this form is monitored by IT support staff only. Please do not submit any personal or medical information. And thank you in advance!

Poll and Quiz Responses

On the web site, we will conduct polls and quizzes to better understand user activities, attitudes, interests and knowledge across multiple health topics. These polls may also help us serve you better by asking questions that relate to the usefulness of our web site. We will not capture any personally identifiable information through the collection of poll response data. As part of these polls and quizzes, we will capture responses sorted by country. In the future, we may capture responses sorted by additional anonymous demographics such as language, affiliated GE business, work web site location, gender, etc.

Sharing Content with Family and Friends

We want you to share the web site’s content with important people in your life, so most articles, videos and slideshows can be emailed. To do so, we will ask you to provide your name and the recipient’s email address. We simply use this information to send the content as you request. At this time, we do not capture or store your, or the recipient’s, email address. Please see below to learn how we track and report on email sharing activity.

Please also review GE’s Social Media Guidelines

How we protect information

GE maintains administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect against unauthorized disclosure, use, alteration or destruction of any information you provide on this web site. We use secure socket layer (SSL) technology to help keep the information you provide on this web site secure. See ‘Information We Share’ and ‘Information We Transfer’ for additional details.

Information we share

We do not sell or otherwise disclose personal information about our visitors, except as described here. We may share information provided by visitors with service providers we have retained to perform services on our behalf. These service providers are contractually restricted from using or disclosing the information, except as necessary to perform services on our behalf or comply with legal requirements. In addition, we may disclose information about you if we are required to do so by law or legal process; to law enforcement authorities or other government officials; or when we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to prevent physical harm or financial loss or in connection with an investigation of suspected or actual illegal activity.

Information we transfer

We may transfer the information we collect on this web site to other countries where we do business, but only for the purposes described above. When we transfer your information to other countries, we will protect that information as described here unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

Links to other web sites

We provide links to other web sites for your convenience and information. These web sites may have their own privacy statements in place, which we recommend you review if you visit any linked web sites. We are not responsible for the content of linked web sites or any use of the web sites.

Children’s privacy

This web site is not directed to children under the age of thirteen and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of thirteen on the web site. If we become aware that we have inadvertently received personal information from a visitor under the age of thirteen, we will delete the information from our records.

Some links on this web site may take web site visitors to web sites that are directed to children. These web sites have their own privacy notices that address children’s privacy. We encourage you to read these privacy notices if you visit any linked web sites directed to children.

Updates to our privacy & data policy

This Privacy & Data Policy may be updated periodically and without prior notice to you to reflect changes in our online information practices. We will post a notice on this web site to notify you of any significant changes to our Privacy & Data Policy, and indicate at the top of this policy when it was most recently updated.

How to contact us

If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy & Data Policy, or if you would like us to update information we have about you or your preferences, please contact us by visiting our Feedback Form.

6 Surprising Ways Your Emotions Impact Your Heart Health

Anger
Angry outbursts aren’t fun for anyone—and recent research from the University of Sydney suggests they may pose risks to your heart.

Researchers interviewed people who recently had heart attacks and found that two percent of these attacks may have been triggered by anger. This number may seem small but the two percent affected were 8.5 times more likely to have a heart attack in the two hours following a rageful outburst. Those outpourings of anger were often linked to arguments, upsetting work experiences, or road rage. The researchers suspect that increased heart rate, blood pressure, tightening of blood vessels, and clotting during angry episodes may be to blame.

To lower your risk of fury-fueled troubles, it may help to avoid activities that leave you angry.

Anxiety
Worrywarts beware—the same study found that episodes of anxiety may increase the risk of heart attack by nearly 10-fold.

It’s normal to feel anxious from time to time. But if you often feel intense and lasting worry about everyday situations, you might have an anxiety disorder. According to Harvard Health Publications, people with anxiety disorders are more likely to develop heart disease. In fact, the Nurses’ Health Study found that women with the highest levels of phobic anxiety were 59 percent more likely to have a heart attack, compared to women with the lowest levels.

If you suspect you have an anxiety disorder, speak with your doctor.

Loneliness
Almost 20 percent of adult Americans are chronically lonely—and their sense of solitude may spell trouble for their tickers.

A recent study published in the Open Psychology Journal found links between loneliness and high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and heart failure. Loneliness was also associated with higher rates of stroke.

To help build a strong circle of friends, the Mayo Clinic encourages people to:

Volunteer, join a gym, or sign up for a class to meet new people
Look for communities of people who share your interests online
Stay in touch with your friends and family by answering phone calls, returning emails, and letting them know you care

Amusement
Some studies suggest there may be truth to the slogan, “laughter is the best medicine.”

Giggles and chuckles can’t cure everything. But laughter may help lower stress hormones, decrease artery inflammation, and raise healthy cholesterol levels, reports the American Heart Association. Similarly, a study published in the British Medical Journal found that laughter may help ease depression, anxiety, stress, and cardiovascular tension. It may also lower the risk of heart attack.

So throw on a mirthful movie, take in a comedy show, or spend time with your funniest friend. While intense laughter can pose some health risks, such as headache or asthma attack, the benefits of a good belly laugh outweigh the dangers for most people.

Optimism

Looking on the bright side of life may do more than boost your mood—it could potentially help you recover from acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

ACS happens when blood flow to your heart is suddenly reduced. According to research published in the journal Circulation, patients with ACS who reported higher levels of optimism were less likely to return to the hospital over a 6-month follow-up period. Even better, older research suggests that optimists may be half as likely as pessimists to develop cardiovascular disease in the first place, reports Harvard School of Public Health. Researchers speculate that optimism may motivate people to make healthier lifestyle choices, such as exercising more.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

Gratitude
Giving thanks may also benefit your heart, advise experts from the American Psychological Association
(APA).

The APA defines gratitude as "part of a wider outlook that involves noticing and appreciating the positive aspects of life." In a 2015 study, researchers assessed gratitude levels in patients diagnosed with asymptomatic heart failure. They found that patients who had higher levels of gratitude also scored better on quality of life indicators, such as mood and the belief that they could manage their medical condition. Patients who kept a gratitude journal three days a week also had lower levels of certain inflammatory biomarkers that can worsen heart failure.

If you want to cultivate gratitude in your own outlook, a journal is a great way to start. Consider beginning or ending each day by writing down three things that make you feel thankful.

HealthAhead Challenge: Make Positivity a Priority
If negative emotions are a regular part of your life, it’s time to take action: Consider speaking with your doctor about your mental and physical health. Ask them about steps you can take to ease anger, anxiety, loneliness, or other stressful feelings. Make time in your life to visit with friends, laugh often, look for silver linings, and express gratitude. Positive experiences and emotions may help you avoid heartache, both mentally and physically.