Young adult man suffering from severe chest pain.
Sarcastic and irritable people can put their heart in danger, suggests research that was recently carried out.
A study of 2,300 heart attack survivors in the United States of America found that people that displayed sarcasm, cynicism, resentment, impatience, and irritability, were at a much greater risk of dying of a second attack within 2 years.
Researchers believe that this is caused by an emotional state of being negative.q
Researchers from the University of Tennessee in the United States of America tracked down 2,321 heart attack survivors.
Hostility was measured at the beginning of the study using a personality test. The patients were tracked and followed for 2 years.
At the end of the 2 year time, the survival rates of the participants were compared to their personality scores and hostility so researchers could predict the chances of having a recurrent heart attack in the future.
While writing in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, the researchers said that the character of the patient had a huge impact on their heart.
They wrote in the study:
Hostile individuals have increased clotting times, higher adrenaline levels, above normal cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and increased cardiac reactivity. These known inflammatory factors may initiate cardiac events and increase poor clinical outcomes.
This is not the first time such research was carried out.
Previous research found out that being optimistic had a huge impact on cardiovascular health.
Staying optimistic reduces stress hormones, pulse rate, and blood pressure.
People that are optimistic tend to eat better, exercise properly, and are less likely to drink or become dependent on an abusive substance.
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