Grouchy people have reason to feel pessimistic about their heart health

'Type D' personalities face higher risk of repeat heart attacks

If you relate more to downtrodden, withdrawn Eeyore than to upbeat, spunky Piglet in the Winnie-the-Pooh cartoons, you may have a harder time recovering from any heart problems, according to a new review of heart health studies.

The findings don't mean that people should try to change who they are, said study researcher Johan Denollet, a medical psychology professor at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. But the results highlight the importance of behavioral therapies in addition to traditional treatments for heart disease, he said.

People with Type D personalities are often anxious, irritable, pessimistic