Cardiovascular correlates of behavioral dominance and hostility during dyadic interaction
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 9, 2026

Assessing Dominant-Submissive Behavior in Adult Rats Following Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: December 16, 2022
1Boston University, School of Medicine, Boston VA Medical Center, Boston, MA 02130, USA.
Abstract:
The present study examined cardiovascular correlates of expression of, and exposure to, naturally occurring behavioral dominance and hostility during dyadic social interaction. Unacquainted men and women undergraduates participated in three mixed-gender interactions with the same partner while their blood pressure and heart rate were assessed. Videotaped records of the interactions were coded for behavioral dominance and hostility. Exposure effects were apparent for women's systolic blood pressure and men's heart rate, with significantly greater reactivity shown by participants whose partners exhibited more dominance or hostility, respectively. Also, women's expression of dominance was positively and significantly associated with their heart rate reactivity. In addition to providing further evidence that emotion-related features of the social environment contribute to cardiovascular reactivity, these results illustrate that dominance merits attention as a correlate of cardiac stress reactivity, independent of hostility.
Related Concept Videos
Relationship Formation
Psychoneuroimmunology: Cardiovascular Disease
A key area of focus in PNI is the relationship between stress and coronary...
Aggression
Secondary Motives: Affiliation Motivation and Aggression Motivation
Causes of Social Behavior III: Biological and Environmental Influences
Factors Influencing Heart Rate
Let us explore the significant factors affecting heart rate, including age, body temperature, posture, acute pain, chemical influences,...

