Dr's Casebook: Hostile behaviour is bad for health

People who are always angry and confrontational may not be doing their health much good. Photo: AdobeStock

There is a lot in the news about bullying and hostile behaviour in many areas of society today. Bullying which is a hostile behaviour pattern is simply not acceptable anywhere.

Dr Keith Souter writes: It is unpleasant to be on the receiving end of bullying behaviour, but people who are always angry and confrontational may not be doing their health much good.

Indeed, the scientific evidence is highly indicative that by frequently losing their cool, losing their temper and by being hostile, they definitely are putting their health at risk.

Hostility means more than just being angry and aggressive, although that tends to be a part of the overall picture. The essence of it is a personality that is characterised by cynicism, suspicion, resentfulness and impatience with others. It is something that can be measured using a test called the Cook-Medley Hostility scale.

One study over a four year period looked at men with known coronary heart disease and found that those with high hostility scores were more than twice as likely as those with low scores to become ill from, or be hospitalised due to their heart problems. Interestingly, it seems that people with high hostility scores are less likely to modify their behaviour or curb their habits, or take advice.

Another study looked at hostility as it affected women by analysing over 500 female doctors. This again assessed cynicism, tendency to rudeness and to insulting and aggressive behaviour. They found that women with high hostility scores were far more likely to have a major health event related to their heart and circulation than were women with low scores.

It was also found that women with high hostility scores had more problems with cholesterol and higher blood pressures. Even when other risk factors had been allowed for, the higher scorers were 50 per cent more likely than low scorers to die or have a major health complication over the following years.

It seems that anger has an immediate effect on blood pressure, via the release of stress hormones. It is thought that long term hostility may also be involved in producing persistently raised blood pressure.

Recognising when your temper rises is important. Try to stop and not react before the heat of the moment makes you say or do something you will regret.