HOT-HEADED MEN HEADED FOR HEART TROUBLE
14 January 2007 - Duke University

According to a new study, men who regularly lose their temper face a significantly higher risk of developing a heart condition that can lead to a fatal stroke. An anger management expert discusses the implications of this research . . .

Here's some advice for men with hot tempers: Don't get mad, get healthy. A new study reports that men who chronically lose their temper face a far higher risk of developing a serious cardiac condition called atrial fibrillation. Redford Williams is director of the Behavioral Medicine Research Center at Duke University Medical Center and an expert on anger management. "What we have here now, really for the first time, is a study that's finding a higher risk of a potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmia. It's yet another piece of evidence that being angry is bad for you." Williams says the study helps dispel the notion that always letting your anger out is healthy. "This is one of those myths that exist about anger, that if you've got a lot of anger, you should let it out, get rid of it. It's equally bad to bottle it up. Both of these myths are wrong." There is a long list of negative health consequences from anger, says Williams, and learning effective anger management techniques can help reduce many of them. "It would be a good idea to begin to teach people the skills they need to manage anger better." I'm Cabell Smith for MedMinute.

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