Anger Linked to Deterioration of Lungs

In a study reported online in the journal Thorax, scientists established a link between chronic anger and deterioration in lung function. Of the 670 men,with age range from 45 to 86 on an eight year project, the study found that males who had higher levels of long-standing anger and hostility had significantly poorer lung functions at the end of the study.

Dr. Rosalind Wright, from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Mass., said "this study is one of the first to show prospectively that hostility is associated with poorer pulmonary function and more rapid roles of decline
among older men." Negative emotions and stress-related factors, the study suggested, could change biological process, depress the immune function, and increase susceptibility to other diseases.