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Cynical hostility, attempts to exert social control, and cardiovascular reactivity in married couples
Insights
Hostile individuals face higher cardiovascular disease risk due to heightened physiological stress responses. This study found husbands' cynical hostility increased their own and their wives' cardiovascular reactivity, particularly when attempting to control the interaction.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cardiovascular Health
- Social Interaction
Background:
- Chronic hostility is linked to increased cardiovascular disease risk.
- This may stem from exaggerated physiological responses to interpersonal stressors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between hostility scores and cardiovascular reactivity in married couples.
- To examine how social control motives influence this association.
Main Methods:
- Married couples completed the Cook and Medley Hostility (Ho) Scale.
- Participants engaged in a discussion task, with and without an incentive to exert control.
- Cardiovascular reactivity, including heart rate (HR) and systolic blood pressure (SBP), was measured.
Main Results:
- Husbands' cynical hostility correlated with greater HR reactivity in both discussion conditions.
- Husbands' cynical hostility was linked to increased SBP reactivity when attempting to influence wives.
- Husbands' hostility also predicted increased SBP reactivity in their wives, while wives' hostility showed no significant associations.
Conclusions:
- Social contexts significantly influence the hostility-psychophysiology link.
- The motivation to exert social control may be a key factor in the cardiovascular effects of hostility for individuals.
Abstract:
Chronically hostile persons may be at greater risk of cardiovascular illness, perhaps because of their more pronounced physiologic responses to interpersonal stressors. The present study of married couples examined the association between Cook and Medley Hostility (Ho) Scale scores and cardiovascular reactivity while couples were engaged in a discussion task with or without an incentive to exert control over their partner. Cynical hostility was associated with greater heart rate (HR) reactivity among husbands in both conditions and with greater systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity among husbands attempting to influence their wives. Further, husbands' cynical hostility was associated with greater SBP reactivity in their wives. Wives' cynical hostility was unrelated to their own or their husbands' reactivity. These results underscore the importance of social contexts in the association between hostility and psychophysiologic processes and suggest that the motive to exert social control may be important for hostile persons.