Why it pays to stay relaxed

The impatience and aggressiveness associated with a "Type A" personality doubles the risk of developing high blood pressure later in life, researchers say.

A 15-year study of 3142 young adults found those who admitted Type A behaviour patterns such as a perpetual sense of urgency, competitiveness, tenseness or hostility were twice as likely to develop high blood pressure more than a decade later as those who did not display such traits.

"In general, the stronger the feelings of impatience and time pressure, the higher the risk of developing hypertension in the long term," said LiJing Yan, a research assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, who presented his findings at the American Heart Association annual meeting.

Of the 6 per cent of subjects who scored highest on the study's Time Urgency/Impatience scale, 17 per cent developed high blood pressure, compared with 10 per cent with the lowest scores.

Previous studies have produced inconsistent findings about the effects on health of having Type A traits, with many surveys focusing on subjects' level of hostility.

The data, culled from the large-scale Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study, focused on participants' sense of urgency or impatience.

Participants ranging in age from 18 to 30 at the start of the study were ranked initially based on their responses to whether they "ate too quickly", "got angry if forced to wait", and "usually felt pressed for time".

"People with higher (Time Urgency/Impatience) scores were more likely to be white, female and better educated ... They also tended to have a less healthy lifestyle. They smoked more, drank more alcohol and had less physical activity."

White men with the highest scores on the personality scale were three times more likely to become hypertensive than the lowest-scoring white men. The link between hypertension and chronic exposure to tense feelings was complex and "not yet well understood", said Yan's colleague Kiang Liu, adding they might be mediated by lifestyle changes.

"It's important to realise that these are modifiable personality traits, and reducing [Time Urgency/Impatience] tendency may possibly decrease future health risks," he said.

In other words, try to cool it.

- REUTERS

Herald feature: Health