In "Angry at Heart," Alan learns the ways in which aggressiveness damages arteries in both baboons and humans. Aggressiveness, along with mistrust and anger, define what psychologists call a hostile personality. These qualities can be assessed with a standard questionnaire.

Below are questions taken from the Hostility Questionnaire, found in Anger Kills by Redford and Virginia Williams, HarperPerennial, 1994. Take the quiz to see if your anger and hostility are putting your heart at risk.

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Choose the answer that best expresses the way you feel:

1. I am in the express checkout line at the supermarket where a sign reads: "No more than 10 items, please!"

A. I pick up a magazine to pass the time.
B. I glance ahead to see if anyone has more than ten items.

2. Many large cities have a visible number of homeless people.

A. I believe that the homeless are down and out because they lack ambition.
B. The homeless are victims of illness or some other misfortune.

3. There have been times when I was very angry with someone.

A. I was always able to stop short of hitting them.
B. I have, on occasion, hit or shoved them.

4. I am stuck in a traffic jam.

A. I usually am not particularly upset.
B. I quickly start to feel irritated and annoyed.

5. Another driver butts ahead of me in traffic.

A. I usually flash my lights or honk my horn.
B. I stay farther back behind such a driver.

6. Someone treats me unfairly.

A. I usually forget it rather quickly.
B. I am apt to keep thinking about it for hours.

7. Someone is being rude or annoying.

A. I am apt to avoid him or her in the future.
B. I might have to get rough with him or her.

8. I hear news of another terrorist attack.

A. I feel like lashing out.
B. I wonder how people can be so cruel.

9. Slow-moving lines can often be found in banks and supermarkets.

A. They are an unavoidable part of modern life.
B. They are often due to someone's incompetence

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The above questionnaire may be scored in one of two ways:

Component scoring:

The three components of hostility; cynicism (item #/score; 1/B, 2/A, 9/B), anger (item #/score; 4/B, 6/B, 8/A) and aggression (item #/score; 3/B, 5/A, 7/B) can be scored separately to gain some appreciation of the attitude/emotion/behavioral components of hostility, respectively. (Ref. pg. 12 of the above book.). If using the component scoring, each component can have a score from 0-3 with 0 or 1 equal to a low level of that component, 2 = a moderate level and 3 = a high level.

Total scale scoring:

Using the above item #'s and their respective scores, simply sum all items marked in the positive direction without regard to their component assignments. A total score of 0 - 3 indicates a low level of hostility, 4 - 6 a moderate level and 7 - 9 a high level.

To learn more about Redford Williams and his research please see our resources section.