“This finding is deeply disturbing, especially when you consider how significant a staple of professionalism the tie is, not only in western culture, but around the world. It would seem that if someone has high blood pressure or any condition that could be adversely affected by reduced cerebral blood flow, this would be an issue,” said Parris.

Tradition and cultural standards are not “valid excuses for continuing unhealthy behaviors,” he continued, noting that “women were once expected to wear high heels in the professional workplace. Now this is an option. Research showed how detrimental heels are to the healthy maintenance of the spine and one’s back posture. Similarly, this new finding regarding neckties requires responsible leadership to reevaluate the standards of ‘image’ against the measure of health risks involved.”


The mayor himself puts in hours on the elliptical and bike to get a healthy boost of blood flow to his brain, he told the Los Angeles Times, noting, “now, it turns out every morning when I put on a tie I’m diminishing it.”

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