Abstract
The relationship between hostility and health related behaviors were investigated. Undergraduate and graduate student participants (n = 423) completed the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire and the Cynicism Questionnaire. They also reported their health related behaviors including alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise, sleeping time, and diet. Results of multiple linear regression analyses indicated that people with a high score for “Verbal Aggression” and “Cynicism” tended to drink more alcohol. Moreover, people with a high score for “Hostility” reported a shorter sleeping time. A logistic regression analyses revealed some significant relations between hostility and health related behaviors: “Physical Aggression”, “Verbal Aggression” and “Cynicism” were related to smoking, and “Anger” was related to unhealthy eating behaviors. We also obtained data on the degree of obesity and blood pressure from 469 and 223 students, respectively. However, no significant effects of hostility on obesity and blood pressure were found. These results suggest that hostile people were likely to have unhealthy behaviors such as drinking alcohol, smoking, and eating irregularly. The role of hostility in the development of future obesity, hypertension, and coronary heart disease is discussed.
