A Healthy Temper and Showing Anger May Lower Heart Disease and Stroke Risk
A Healthy Temper and Showing Anger May Lower Heart Disease and Stroke Risk
A healthy temper may lower heart disease and stroke risk
Feb. 5, 2003 -- Expressing anger from time to time may actually do your heart good. A new study shows men who express their anger more than holding it in have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.
But before you blow your top, researchers say it's important to remember that moderation -- even when it comes to your temper-- is the key to good health.
The study, published in the January/February issue of Psychosomatic Medicine, found healthy men with moderate levels of anger expression had a lower risk of heart attack and stroke compared to men who didn't show their anger. But a word of warning: Men with a history of heart disease were more likely to suffer complications if they frequently showed their anger.
Researchers say the findings show there might be a more complex relationship between anger and heart disease than previously thought. Prior studies have suggested that long-term anger is linked to the development of heart disease, but little research has examined how the different styles of anger expression might affect heart risk.
In their study, researchers Patricia Eng, ScD, of the Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues had 23,522 men between the ages of 50 and 85 complete surveys about how they behaved in certain situations when the were angry and then compared those results to rates of heart disease and stroke among the men in the two years following the survey.
The survey asked the men how often they generally expressed their anger or did things like slam doors, make sarcastic remarks, or lose their temper.
The study found that men with higher anger expression scores had only about half the risk of stroke as men with lower scores. In fact, men who most often said, 'I express my anger' were less likely to have a stroke than men who said they reacted to anger with responses associated with sarcasm or hostility, like 'I make sarcastic remarks' and 'I say nasty things.'
Researchers say their findings are somewhat limited, however, because the men in the study were highly educated and of a high socioeconomic status. These men may be in a position of power where they can express anger more freely, which might temper the hazardous effects of anger and hostility.
Scream for a Healthy Heart
A healthy temper may lower heart disease and stroke risk
Feb. 5, 2003 -- Expressing anger from time to time may actually do your heart good. A new study shows men who express their anger more than holding it in have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.
But before you blow your top, researchers say it's important to remember that moderation -- even when it comes to your temper-- is the key to good health.
The study, published in the January/February issue of Psychosomatic Medicine, found healthy men with moderate levels of anger expression had a lower risk of heart attack and stroke compared to men who didn't show their anger. But a word of warning: Men with a history of heart disease were more likely to suffer complications if they frequently showed their anger.
Researchers say the findings show there might be a more complex relationship between anger and heart disease than previously thought. Prior studies have suggested that long-term anger is linked to the development of heart disease, but little research has examined how the different styles of anger expression might affect heart risk.
In their study, researchers Patricia Eng, ScD, of the Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues had 23,522 men between the ages of 50 and 85 complete surveys about how they behaved in certain situations when the were angry and then compared those results to rates of heart disease and stroke among the men in the two years following the survey.
The survey asked the men how often they generally expressed their anger or did things like slam doors, make sarcastic remarks, or lose their temper.
The study found that men with higher anger expression scores had only about half the risk of stroke as men with lower scores. In fact, men who most often said, 'I express my anger' were less likely to have a stroke than men who said they reacted to anger with responses associated with sarcasm or hostility, like 'I make sarcastic remarks' and 'I say nasty things.'
Researchers say their findings are somewhat limited, however, because the men in the study were highly educated and of a high socioeconomic status. These men may be in a position of power where they can express anger more freely, which might temper the hazardous effects of anger and hostility.