Anger, Hostility, and Lung Power

Is George Steinbrenner shouting less than he used to? If so, there may be a reason. While the cardiovascular risks of excessive anger and hostility are well known, new research has shown that such emotional outbursts are sometimes associated with chronic airway obstruction, leading to lessened pulmonary function in older men.

The US Veterans Administration Normative Aging Study measured hostility in 670 men using a 50-item personality scale. They were ‘scored’ on this scale in 1986, and in the following 8+ years they had 3 tests of pulmonary function at different intervals. Those men with higher hostility scores had poorer results on their pulmonary function tests. And in those whose hostility increased during the 8-year follow-up period, lung function declined more rapidly. These findings held true even when factors likes smoking and education level were taken into consideration.

The authors of the study explain their finding as being possibly related to an effect of these emotions on neurological and hormonal processes, which in turn affect immune system activity, allowing chronic inflammation in the lungs, finally leading to a degree of airway obstruction. Maybe there’s something in the old advice to “take a deep breath” before giving free rein to your emotions.