Men prone to angry tantrums or sulky hostility are more likely to develop an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation, U.S. researchers have reported.
Having a type-A personality alone was not enough to predispose a man to heart disease, the researchers report in this week’s issue of the journal Circulation.
But men who described themselves as fiery- or quick-tempered, hot-headed, furious when criticised, or wanting to hit someone when frustrated were 30 percent more likely to suffer from atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm that can lead to sudden death.
The study suggests that expressing emotions may not always be healthy, said Elaine Eaker of Eaker Epidemiology Enterprises in Chili, Wisconsin, who led the study.
“There has been a perception that you can dissipate the negative health effects of anger by letting anger out instead of bottling it up,” Eaker said in a statement on Monday.
“But that is definitely not the case in the men in this study – they were at higher risk not only of atrial fibrillation but of death from all causes.”