Competitive and aggressive people face a higher risk of heart attack and stroke, states a new study.

People who classed themselves as aggressive on a standard personality test were more likely to suffer from thickening of the neck arteries than those those who were classed as affable or accommodating, the research found.
Thickening of the arteries is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke, note the authors of the study which appeared in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Three years after the first research was done, "those who scored higher on antagonism or low agreeableness -- especially those who were manipulative and quick to express anger -- continued to have thickening of their artery walls. These traits also predicted greater progression of arterial thickening," the study found.
Among those examined, people who were the most antagonistic 10 percent had about a 40-percent higher risk for thicker arteries.
"People who tend to be competitive and more willing to fight for their own self interest have thicker arterial walls, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease," said Angelina Sutin, Ph.D., the lead author.
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The NIA-funded study was done on Sardinia, with participants aged 14-94 (42 on average) and 58 percent were women.
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