Research Check: Do Neckties Reduce Blood Supply To The Brain?

The study showed that wearing a tie that causes slight discomfort can reduce blood flow to the brain by 7.5%, but the reduction is unlikely to cause any physical symptoms, which generally begin at a re­duction of 10%.

How was the research conducted?

Past research shows that compression of the jug­ular vein in the neck reduces blood flow to the brain. In this new study, published recently in the journal Neuroradiology, the researchers tested whether the pressure of a necktie could induce these changes.

They recruited 30 young men aged 21 to 28 years and split them into two groups: those wearing neck­ties and those without.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the re­searchers tested the cerebral blood flow (total blood flow to the brain) using a technique that showed changes to the flow via a colour change. They also tested the blood flow from their jugular vein.

The first MRI took a “baseline” scan, while the participants in both groups had an open collar (and those in the tie-wearing group had a loosened tie).

For the second scan, the men’s collars were closed and participants in the tie group tightened their Windsor knot until they felt slight discomfort.

A third scan followed, in the same conditions as the baseline scan. All scans lasted 15 minutes.

What did they find?

The authors found that wearing a necktie with a Windsor knot tightened to level of slight discomfort for 15 minutes led to a 7.5% drop in cerebral blood flow, and a 5.7% drop in the 15 minutes after the tie was loosened.

The men’s blood flow in the control group – those who weren’t wearing a tie – didn’t change.

No change was found in jugular venous flow be­tween the two groups.

What does it mean?

The study didn’t go into any detail about the ef­fects, so let’s consider what they might be.

The researchers found a reduction in blood flow to the brain of 7.5%, which is unlikely to cause prob­lems for most men.

Healthy people are likely to begin experiencing symptoms when blood flow to the brain reduces by about 10% – so, a larger reduction than the study found. Along with an increase in blood pressure at the site, a 10% reduction in blood flow can cause diz­ziness, light-headedness, headaches and nausea.

But even with a 7.5% drop in blood loss to the brain, a person could still experience some tempo­rary dizziness, headaches or nausea.

Compounded with other factors, such as smok­ing or advanced age, a 7.5% decrease could bring some people over this 10% threshold of blood flow loss, placing extra stress on their already strained bodies and increasing their risk of losing conscious­ness or developing high-blood pressure.

It’s unclear why there was no change to the jug­ular, but this may be due to the circular nature of the restriction: the pressure is equally distributed across the neck, rather than just the jugular.

What else do we need to take into account

Further research is needed to assess the impact of wearing a tie for longer periods and wearing dif­ferent knots.

Any pressure on the neck is slightly discom­forting, and men’s style guides advise tightening a necktie to be “tight but not too tight”. Whether this tightness aligns with the participants’ classification of “slight discomfort” is unclear.

This study had a sample size of 30 participants, which is relatively small. Most human studies inves­tigating blood pressure and cerebral blood flow have at least 40 to 60 participants.

Another limitation is that the study did not in­clude a discussion about the potential impact of the blood restriction, or the finding that jugular blood flows didn’t change.

But overall, the study is simple and well-de­signed. It adds to a small but growing body of re­search about the problems with neckties: they can lead to higher rates of infection, as they’re infre­quently washed; and they may increase intraocular pressure (blood pressure in the eyes) to the point of increasing the risk of glaucoma.

Perhaps it’s time to get rid of this unwelcome guest from our wardrobe, or restrict it to special oc­casions. – Steve Kassem

Blind peer review

This is a fair and accurate assessment of the research. But it’s important to note that 40% of the control group – those without neckties – also report­ed a decrease in cerebral blood flow. This could be a stress response. In future studies, we need larger sample sizes combined with longer durations to ver­ify these findings. – Yugeesh Lankadeva

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