Expression of anger is associated with biological health risk (BHR) in Western cultures. However, recent evidence documenting culturally divergent functions of the expression of anger suggests that its link with BHR may be moderated by culture. To test this prediction, we examined large probability samples of both Japanese and Americans using multiple measures of BHR, including pro-inflammatory markers (interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein) and indices of cardiovascular malfunction (systolic blood pressure and ratio of total to HDL cholesterol). We found that the link between greater expression of anger and increased BHR was robust for Americans. As predicted, however, this association was diametrically reversed for Japanese, among whom greater expression of anger predicted reduced BHR. These patterns were unique to the expressive facet of anger and remained after we controlled for age, gender, health status, health behaviors, social status, and reported experience of negative emotions. Implications for sociocultural modulation of bio-physiological responses are discussed.

中文翻译：

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两种文化中愤怒和不健康的表达

在西方文化中，愤怒的表达与生物健康风险 (BHR) 相关。然而，最近记录愤怒表达的文化差异功能的证据表明，愤怒与 BHR 的联系可能会受到文化的影响。为了检验这一预测，我们使用多种 BHR 测量方法检查了日本和美国人的大概率样本，包括促炎标志物（白介素 6 和 C 反应蛋白）和心血管功能障碍指数（收缩压和总血压与高密度脂蛋白胆固醇）。我们发现，更多的愤怒表达与增加的 BHR 之间的联系对美国人来说是强有力的。然而，正如预测的那样，这种关联在日本人中完全相反，其中更多的愤怒表达预示着 BHR 降低。这些模式对于愤怒的表达方面来说是独一无二的，并且在我们控制了年龄、性别、健康状况、健康行为、社会地位和报告的负面情绪体验后仍然存在。讨论了生物生理反应的社会文化调制的影响。