Type A Personality: vs Type B, Traits, Benefits, Risks & How to Prevent (2024)

What Does It Mean by Type A Personality?

Type A Personality: vs Type B, Traits, Benefits, Risks & How to Prevent (1)

Study results are mixed as to whether type A personality traits can lead to heart disease.

Do you feel an intense drive to succeed? Are you often impatient, irritable, or angry? Do you feel like you need to do as much as possible in the shortest amount of time?

These traits are all signs of a type A personality. There's some evidence that such a high-stress personality might affect your health.

In a 1959 study, Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman, both heart doctors, compared heart risk factors in several groups of men. Each group included men of a different personality type.Friedman named men with an intense personality "type A." He called men with the opposite traits "type B."

The type A men had much higher cholesterol levels. They were also more likely to have coronary artery disease than the more laid-back men.

Since the release of that study, other researchers have found links between type A personality and heart disease. The personality type might play a role in other stress-related diseases too. But don’t worry. Not all the effects of this driven personality are negative.

Type A and Type B Personality Traits

Your personality type forms from a combination of factors, including your:

  • Genes
  • Natural temperament since birth
  • Environment and the people around you

Type A Personality Traits

People with type A personalities have several traits in common. They are often:

  • Highly ambitious
  • Competitive
  • Aggressive
  • Insecure about their status in work or life
  • Irritable or angry
  • Impatient
  • Obsessed with deadlines
  • Goal-driven to achieve as much as possible in the shortest amount of time
  • Willing to take risks

Type B Personality Traits

By contrast, type B personalities are more relaxed, laid-back, creative, and easygoing.

Is Type A Personality Bad?

Researchers first linked heart disease to type A personality back in the late 1950s. A few studies that followed shortly after had similar results.

If those studies are correct, type A’s may have greater heart risks, in part, because they are under more stress than other people. Stress raises blood pressure. That can increase the risk for a heart attack. Type A’s also may relieve stress in unhealthy ways like drinking alcohol and smoking.

But, newer studies don’t find any connection between type A behavior and heart disease. Some researchers even say that type A’s with heart disease live longer than other people with the condition.

Type A Personality, Stress, and Other Health Risks

Over the years, studies have also found connections between type A personality and other diseases.

  • Among men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the ones that have a type A personality get more infections and have more severe shortness of breath than others. Increased stress and anxiety may cause them to breathe harder and faster. That could make their airways tighten up. They take more risks with their health, which could explain the infections.
  • People with type A personalities may also be more likely to get a disease called central serous retinopathy or CSR. CSR is an eye disease that causes fluid to collect under the retina. This can lead to blurry and distorted vision. Stress triggers the release of the hormone cortisol. That can cause fluid to leak out of the blood vessels into the retina.

Benefits of Having a Type A Personality

Having a type A personality isn't all bad for your health.

  • For one thing, it could drive you to stay on top of your screenings.
  • In one study, women with a type A personality were 46% more likely to get mammograms than those with other personality types.

Type A’s may also take better care of themselves. This could lead to better health outcomes.

  • Studies show that type A people are less likely to die early from diabetes.
  • Type A women in menopause have more mood changes and other emotional symptoms. But, they're also more likely to take hormone therapy to treat those symptoms.

How to Prevent Heart Disease

A type A personality doesn't mean you're destined to have health problems. In some cases, your ambitious nature might actually protect you.

Also, when it comes to the stress aspect of being type A, there are things you can do to lower your risk for heart disease and other harmful conditions such as:

  • Manage the heart risk factors that are within your control.
  • Eat a heart-healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish.
  • Exercise every day.

You can also try therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a program that teaches you how to solve problems in a healthier way. CBT may help lower risk for cardiovascular disease and heart attack in people with type A personalities.

References

(c)2019 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

American Journal of Public Health: "Type A behavior pattern and coronary heart disease: Philip Morris's 'Crown Jewel.'"

Archives of Internal Medicine: "Randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy vs standard treatment to prevent recurrent cardiovascular events in patients with coronary heart disease: Secondary Prevention in Uppsala Primary Health Care project (SUPRIM)."

Cancer Medicine: "Personality and breast cancer screening in women of the GAZEL cohort study."

Clinical Cardiology: "Treating Type A Behavior and Your Heart."

Diabetes Care: "Type A behavior and risk of all-cause mortality, CAD, and CAD-related mortality in a type 1 diabetic population: 22 years of follow-up in the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications Study."

Meyer Friedman. Type A Behavior: Its Diagnosis and Treatment, Springer Science & Business Media, 2013.

International Journal of Behavioral Medicine: "Associations between hunter type A/B personality and cardiovascular risk factors from adolescence through young adulthood."

JAMA: "Association of specific overt behavior pattern with blood and cardiovascular findings."

Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology: "Differences in menopausal symptoms and coping strategies according to personality in Japanese nurses."

Medical Science Monitor: "Type A behavior pattern, impulsiveness, risk propensity, and empathy as predictors of dyspnea and number of infections in men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A cross-sectional study."

PLoS One: "A type A and type D combined personality typology in essential hypertension and acute coronary syndrome patients: Associations with demographic, physiological, clinical, and lifestyle indicators."

Psychiatria Danubina: "Type A personality, stress, anxiety, and health locus of control in patients with acute myocardial infarction."

Royal National Institute of Blind People: "Central serous retinopathy (CSR)."

UNC Charlotte: "Personality type A/B."

Type A Personality: vs Type B, Traits, Benefits, Risks & How to Prevent (2024)

FAQs

Type A Personality: vs Type B, Traits, Benefits, Risks & How to Prevent? ›

The high levels of stress and anxiety that Type A individuals might experience could lead to certain risk factors like burnout, depression, high blood pressure and anxiety disorders. Type B individuals' more relaxed and easy-going nature might help reduce stress and improve overall well-being and physical health.

What is the difference between Type A and B personality? ›

People with a type A personality are impatient, ambitious, anxious, organized, proactive, and status-conscious. People with a type B personality are less achievement focused, disorganized, able to go with the flow, unfazed, unstressed, calm, and patient. Neither personality type is better than the other.

What are the negatives of type A and B personality? ›

People with a type B personality may be more prone to procrastination or distraction from a task. Certain traits of a type A personality, such as hostility, impatience, and anger, may be risk factors for high blood pressure and heart disease.

What are the pros and cons of Type A personality? ›

A Type A personality is characterized by traits like competitiveness, drive, ambition, and urgency. People with this personality type are often good at reaching their goals, but this personality type has also been linked to increased stress and other health risks.

What are the risks of Type A personality? ›

Type A behavior (hard-driving, competitive, time-urgent, hostile-irritable) has been linked to high stress levels and the risk of eventual cardiovascular problems (i.e., coronary heart disease, CHD).

How to deal with Type A personality? ›

Tips for living well with a type A personality
  1. Find you what activates you. Everyone has different things that activate their stress response. ...
  2. Take breaks. ...
  3. Make time for exercise. ...
  4. Practice self-care. ...
  5. Learn new relaxation techniques. ...
  6. Talk with a therapist.
Nov 9, 2021

Is there a type C personality? ›

The type C personality can be better described as someone who thrives on being accurate, rational and applying logic to everything they do. They can however also struggle to emote their feelings and hold a lot in when things go awry, preferring to to be less assertive and be more cooperative in nature.

What are disadvantages of Type A? ›

Type A personality traits also have some potential drawbacks, such as:
  • Job dissatisfaction: Many people with Type A personality traits place a high importance on their career. ...
  • Burnout: People with Type A personalities tend towards workaholism and are hard on themselves when they don't reach their goals.
Sep 20, 2023

What are the weaknesses of a type B personality? ›

One of the key takeaways is that Type B personalities can have a tendency to procrastinate. This can be due to the fact that they are more laid back and even tempered but also, paying attention to details is not a strong suit.

What are the advantages of having a type B personality? ›

One major advantage of this personality type is the ability to cope well with stress and pressure. Even when faced with a great deal of stress, type Bs are usually able to maintain a level-headed, optimistic outlook.

Which personality type takes risks? ›

Explanation of the risk taking scale chart

Otherwise, the Se (Extroverted Sensing) types in general are going to be the most risk seeking in general, while the Si (Introverted Sensing) types are going to be the most risk averse. To sum up, The XNFJ and XNTJ types can be very risky if they calculate that it's worth it.

How does type A personality affect your health? ›

Researchers first linked heart disease to type A personality back in the late 1950s. A few studies that followed shortly after had similar results. If those studies are correct, type A's may have greater heart risks, in part, because they are under more stress than other people. Stress raises blood pressure.

Why is type A personality important? ›

Those with Type A tendencies like to be on top of their game. Their competitiveness might push them to not only work hard but perform better than their peers. They're natural leaders who might lean toward an authoritative leadership style, enjoying having power and influence.

What are type D personality traits? ›

Type D personality, a concept used in the field of medical psychology, is defined as the joint tendency towards negative affectivity (e.g. worry, irritability, gloom) and social inhibition (e.g. reticence and a lack of self-assurance). The letter D stands for "distressed".

Are type A and type B compatible? ›

Challenges of a Type A Personality Dating a Type B

This can lead to resentment over time and may end up making both partners unhappy. Similarly, a Type A personality can end up getting frustrated or stressed by a Type B's laidback or more disorganized approach to life.

What is the difference between Type A and Type B blood personality? ›

Overview. According to popular belief, people with type A blood are friendly and kind, people with type B are spontaneous and creative, and people with type O are confident and aggressive. In a logical extension of this system, those with type AB are a mix of stereotypical A and B traits.

What is meant by Type A personality? ›

A type A personality is defined by traits like ambition, drive, and competitiveness, which can lead to a high level of success. But type A personalities can also be inpatient, hostile, and have trouble relaxing. It's important to understand yourself and your tendencies so you can create a healthy work-life balance.

References

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