NEW ORLEANS — Hostility is linked to poor heart health, and a new study reveals what may happen in women’s bodies that may explain this link.
Scientists have known that, in women, optimism is associated with a reduced risk for heart disease, and that “cynical hostility” — or a general mistrust of other people — has been linked to a higher risk for heart disease, according to a previous study.
What has been unclear, however, is what mechanism optimism and hostility act through to influence women’s heart health. In other words, why do these traits have such effects on heart disease risk?
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