“…High levels of hostility have been strongly associated with the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD; Naiura et al, 2002;Smith, 1994;Smith & Ruiz, 2002), increased cardiovascular reactivity to stressful situations (Rhodes, Harrison, & Demaree, 2002;Smith, Glazer, Ruiz, & Gallo, 2004), and higher resting levels of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate (HR; Keefe, Castell, & Blumenthal, 1986). Increased risk for hypertension and CVD among hostile individuals has been well documented (Nelson et al, 2005;Zhu et al, 2005), indicating a need for further research examining the effects of hostility level as a function of exposure to stress.…”