( Health.com ) -- Are you pessimistic , chronically worried and stressed-out , and ill at ease socially ? You may be at higher risk of heart attack and other heart problems , a new study suggests . People with a history of heart disease who are prone to negative thinking , gloom , and inhibition -- a personality profile known as Type D ( for `` distressed '' ) -- are nearly four times more likely to experience heart attack , heart failure , heart rhythm disorders , death , and other negative outcomes compared to heart patients with a different personality profile , the study found . Health.com : Surprising heart attack risks . `` There is a clear connection between heart risk and psychological risk factors , and those people who have this personality and lack social support have higher risk of health problems , '' says Nieca Goldberg , M.D. , director of the Women 's Heart Program at New York University 's Langone Medical Center . ( Goldberg was not involved in the new study . ) The lead author of the study , Johan Denollet , Ph.D. , a professor of medical psychology at Tilburg University , in the Netherlands , first proposed a Type D personality in the mid-1990s , after he and his colleagues observed that distressed heart-attack survivors had higher short-term mortality rates than people with more upbeat personalities . Type D personalities are `` characterized by negative emotions like anxiety , frustration , and anger , and at the same time score high on social inhibition , meaning that they are less likely to disclose emotions , '' Denollet says . Health.com : 10 things to say ( and not say ) to someone with depression . The Type D personality was modeled after the better-known Type A and B personalities , which grew out of heart research conducted in the U.S. in the 1950s . The aggressiveness , impatience , and hostility that characterizes the Type A personality has long been linked to an increased risk of heart disease . Experts do n't fully understand why the Type D personality appears to affect heart risk . Genes may be partly responsible , but the chronic stress associated with Type D traits is also a likely culprit . Consistently high levels of one stress hormone , cortisol , are a known risk factor for heart attack . `` Stress hormones and stress reactions are great in fight-or-flight -- like when a prehistoric man was being chased by a saber-toothed tiger -- but they are not so good when they flood your body 24/7 , '' says Karol Watson , M.D. , the co-director of preventive cardiology at UCLA 's David Geffen School of Medicine . Health.com : Job killing you ? 8 types of work-related stress . Type D personalities may also turn to smoking , alcohol , overeating , and other unhealthy behaviors as a way of coping with their emotions , Watson adds . And , as Denollet points out , `` Type D 's are less likely to exercise , and [ are ] also rather poor at adhering to medical treatment or advice by their doctors . '' In the study , which appears in the journal Circulation : Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes , Denollet and his colleagues re-analyzed data from 19 studies comprising more than 6,000 people . ( Denollet led many of the studies himself . ) They found that heart patients with type D personalities were 3.7 times more likely than those with other personality types to experience future heart problems . In addition , the Type D patients were three times more likely to experience depression , anxiety , and other forms of emotional distress . The link between heart risk and Type D personality persisted even after the researchers took into account whether the study participants were depressed . This suggests that Type D personality presents a health risk independent of depression , a condition that itself increases the risk of heart disease . Health.com : Loneliness hurts the heart . Type D personality and depression are not the same thing , although there is some overlap between them . While depression tends to occur in episodes , the emotional distress associated with Type D personality is chronic and may never reach the level of clinical depression , according to the study . The findings shine a light on a high-risk population , Goldberg says , adding that doctors should ask patients about their social support systems in an effort to identify those who may have Type D traits . ( For just that purpose , Denollet and his colleagues have developed a questionnaire that asks patients to rank how well 14 statements -- such as `` I take a gloomy view of things '' and `` I find it hard to start a conversation '' -- apply to them . ) Health.com : 7 types of therapy that can help depression . Type D personalities are n't doomed to heart problems , but they should be aware of their risk and take precautions , such as enrolling in cardiac rehabilitation if they 've had a heart attack , the researchers say . `` Type Ds need to take a more active approach toward their own health , '' Denollet says . `` They may benefit from counseling , so that they can learn how to deal with everyday stressful situations in a more adaptive way . There are some proactive tools and actions that these people can take to get rid of the negative emotions they keep inside . '' Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com . Copyright Health Magazine 2010 .
If you 're pessimistic and chronically worried you may be at higher risk of heart attack . A person with a Type D personality is four times more likely to have heart problems . Comment: Type D personalities are n't doomed to heart problems , but should take precautions .