Cynical hostility, anger, and resting blood pressure

Research on associations of anger and hostility with resting blood pressure (BP) has generally ignored their interrelationships. The present study examined the individual and joint relationships of cynical hostility, anger-in, anger-out, and anger frequency with resting BP using the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale and the Spielberger anger scales. Multiple regressions were conducted on data from a community sample of 105 men and women to examine the main and interactive effects of anger and hostility on BP, controlling for established physical covariates. Diastolic BP was inversely related to anger-in scores in men and women. Systolic and diastolic BP were positively associated with Ho (hostility) score only in women. No confounding or interactive effects of hostility and anger on BP were found. It is suggested that the sex-specific link between cynical hostility and BP may reflect a chronic mismatch between the social cognitions of cynically hostile women and some of the cultural norms that govern women's social lives.