A second piece of good news applies to those who are Type A but lack
the hostility component. Contrary to initial warnings, Type A is not necessar-
ily bad for your health. Workaholics who push themselves to meet ever
greater challenges and who prefer to work through lunch might not be
headed for an early heart attack after all. If these people don ’t let minor set-
backs and little frustrations upset them, it may be possible to be productive
andhealthy.
SOCIAL ANXIETY
I took a few moments at a recent psychology conference to note the different
ways in which my colleagues went about meeting and greeting other profes-
sionals. I positioned myself in the corner of a large room and watched as peo-ple entered what was designated a “social hour. ”The event was scheduled so
that people in the field could meet one another and perhaps exchange a fewideas about each other ’s work. Some people seemed quite at home in this set-
ting. One woman in particular amazed me with her ability to introduce herself
to someone she obviously had never met and immediately begin what appeared
to be a lively and pleasant conversation. But other people approached the so-cial hour in a very different manner. One man stopped about 2 feet inside the
door and examined the proceedings. Then he slowly worked his way around
the exterior of the room, looking for someone to talk to. When people didspeak to him, he appeared to smile nervously. The man looked at the floor
more than at the person he was speaking to, and his conversations never
seemed to last more than 30 seconds. After about 10 minutes, he left.TABLE8.2
Some Health Consequences of High Anger and Hostility
Physical Illness High hostility scores predict increased incidence of many
illnesses, including asthma, liver disease, and arthritis.
Immune System High anger is related to weakness in the immune system,
especially after conflict.
Pain High anger scores are associated with lower pain tolerance
in lab studies and with complaints of greater pain among
patients experiencing pain.
Cholesterol High trait anger is correlated with higher cholesterol levels.
Cardiovascular Disease High hostility is related to higher incidence of many
cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and
coronary artery blockage.
Death High scores on measures of anger and hostility are associ-
ated with death from cardiovascular disease as well as
death from other causes.
Source: From “The terrible twos —anger and anxiety: Hazardous to your health, ”by R.M. Suinn in
American Psychologist ,56, 2001, p. 27 –36. Copyright © 2001 by the American Psychological Association.198 CHAPTER 8 The Trait Approach