Introduction:

Arterial hypertension generates millions of deaths, its multicausality in each person varies according to distinct factors such as diet, physical exercise, substance use, circadian cycles, genetic and emotional aspects, among others. It is possible that personality is a precipitating or protective resource against cardiac disease.

Objective:

To identify the relation between personality factors and physiological variations in blood pressure and heart rate in the face of emotional stimuli and motors.

Method:

Exploratory study with an ABA intrasubject design in healthy young adults for heart disease. At baseline A, the sociodemographic data questionnaire, the Big Five, blood pressure and heart rate were recorded. In phase B, the emotional and motor stimuli were applied, and heart rate and blood pressure were also recorded. In the next A phase, the heart rate and blood pressure were recorded in resting.

Results:

On average, the blood pressure of men was higher than in women with measurements of 124/72 mmHg compared to 113/66 mmHg. There are negative correlations between blood pressure with personality factors such as neuroticism and consciousness with values of r = −0.198 and r = −0.254 (p < 0.05), respectively.

Conclusions:

This study provides empirical evidence in the analysis of the relationship between gender and personality. It is likely that being a man and the factors of neuroticism and conscientiousness with high blood pressure are relevant indicators for the design of prevention programs, enabling the inclusion of personality as a variable related to the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases.

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