Ž . International Journal of Psychophysiology 28 1998 117129 Psychosocial influences on blood pressure during daily life Robert A. Carels, Andrew Sherwood  , James A. Blumenthal Department of Psychiatry, Biobehaioral Research Laboratory, Duke Uniersity Medical Center, Box 3119, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Accepted 30 September 1997 Abstract Ž . Ž . Ambulatory blood pressure ABP monitoring allows frequent non-invasive blood pressure BP recordings in a variety of settings. Emerging evidence suggests that ABP is a better predictor of cardiovascular morbidity than clinic BP. Ambulatory blood pressure is influenced by a variety of physical, psychological and behavioral factors that comprise an individual’s daily life. The present article reviews psychosocial research relating ABP to psychological Ž . Ž . factors e.g. Type A behavior pattern, angerhostility and environmental influences e.g. job strain . Psychological factors and environmental factors alone and in interaction with each other appear to substantially influence ABP. Interacting physical, psychosocial and behavioral factors that comprise daily life provide unique methodological Ž . challenges to ABP research. Methodological considerations e.g. activity patterns, caffeine and alcohol consumption for performing ABP research are discussed. Evidence outlined in this review suggests that psychosocial factors contribute to ABP level. To the extent that psychosocial factors contribute to ABP cardiac disease, it will be important to analyze their effects on underlying disease processes.  1998 Elsevier Science B.V. Keywords: Ambulatory blood pressure; Individual differences; Environment; Health behaviors; Ethnicity; Gender 1. Introduction Over the past 20 years, advances in computer and miniaturization technology have led to the  Corresponding author. Tel.: 1 919 6848835; fax: 1 919 6848629. development and refinement of automated ambu- latory blood pressure monitors that permit fre- quent non-invasive BP recordings based upon auscultatory and oscillometric principles similar Ž to those used in the physician’s office O’Brien et . Ž . al., 1995 . Ambulatory blood pressure ABP monitoring provides frequent assessments of blood pressure during routine activities of daily 0167-876098$19.00  1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Ž . PII S0167-8760 97 00090-1