Skip to main content
Log in

Serotonin receptor 1B genotype and hostility, anger and aggressive behavior through the lifespan: the Young Finns study

  • Published:
Journal of Behavioral Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The serotonin system has been shown to be involved in the regulation of hostility, anger, and aggressive behavior. Previous molecular genetic studies suggest that the serotonin receptor 1B (HTR1B) rs6296 genotype might have a particular role in these types of behaviors. We examined whether HTR1B is related to hostility, anger, and aggressive behavior phenotypes over a lifespan and whether it modifies the connection between childhood aggressive behavior and adulthood hostility and anger. The participants were 967 women and men from a large population based sample (The Young Finns Study) with a 27-year follow-up. Childhood aggressive behavior was reported by the mother twice when the participants were 3 to 12 years of age. Adulthood hostility and anger were self-reported by the participants between ages 24 and 36. Childhood aggressive behavior predicted adulthood hostility over 27 years. HTR1B SNP rs6296 was associated with childhood aggressive behavior but not with adulthood anger or hostility. The HTR1B SNP rs6296 modified the association between childhood aggressive behavior and adulthood hostility. Aggressive behavior and hostility might form a life course pattern, and the HTR1B might contribute to a development of this pattern.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Åkerblom, H. K., Uhari, M., Pesonen, E., Dahl, M., Kaprio, E. A., Nuutinen, E. M., et al. (1991). Cardiovascular risk in Young Finns. Annals of Medicine, 23, 35–39.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barefoot, J. C., Dahlstrom, W. G., & Williams, R. B., Jr. (1983). Hostility, CHD incidence, and total mortality: A 25-year follow-up study of 255 physicians. Psychosomatic Medicine, 45, 59–63.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barefoot, J. C., Peterson, B. L., Dahlstrom, W. G., Siegler, I. C., Anderson, N. B., & Williams, R. B., Jr. (1991). Hostility patterns and health implications: Correlates of cook-medley hostility scale scores in a national survey. Health Psychology, 10, 18.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & Van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2007). For better and for worse. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 300–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J., & Pluess, M. (2009). Beyond diathesis stress: Differential susceptibility to environmental influences. Psychological Bulletin, 135, 885–908.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brummett, B. H., Boyle, S. H., Siegler, I. C., Kuhn, C. M., Ashley-Koch, A., Jonassaint, C. R., et al. (2008). Effects of environmental stress and gender on associations among symptoms of depression and the serotonin transporter gene linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR). Behavior Genetics, 38, 34–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buss, A. H. (1991). The EAS theory of temperament. In J. Strelau & A. Angleitner (Eds.), Explorations in temperament: International perspectives on theory and measurement, perspectives on individual differences (pp. 43–60). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buss, A. H., & Durkee, A. (1957). An inventory for assessing different kinds of hostility. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 21, 343–349.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Caspi, A. (2000). The child is father of the man: Personality continuities from childhood to adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 158–172.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Caspi, A., Harrington, H. L., Milne, B., Amell, J. W., Theodore, R. F., & Moffitt, T. E. (2003). Children’s behavioral styles at age 3 are linked to their adult personality traits at age 26. Journal of Personality, 71, 495–514.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, P. P., Ford, D. E., Meoni, L. A., Wang, N. Y., & Klag, M. J. (2002). Anger in young men and subsequent premature cardiovascular disease: The precursors study. Archives of Internal Medicine, 162, 901–906.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chida, Y., & Steptoe, A. (2009). The association of anger and hostility with future coronary heart disease: A meta-analytic review of prospective evidence. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 53, 936–946.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Comrey, A. L. (1957). A factor analysis of items on the MMPI hysteria scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 17, 586–592.

    Google Scholar 

  • Comrey, A. L. (1958). A factor analysis of items on the MMPI paranoia scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 18, 99–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conner, T. S., Jensen, K. P., Tennen, H., Furneaux, H. M., Kranzler, H. R., & Covault, J. (2010). Functional polymorphisms in the serotonin 1B receptor gene (HTR1B) predict self-reported anger and hostility among young men. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 153, 67–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig, I. W., & Halton, K. E. (2009). Genetics of human aggressive behaviour. Human Genetics, 126, 101–113.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Davidge, K. M., Atkinson, L., Douglas, L., Lee, V., Shapiro, S., Kennedy, J. L., et al. (2004). Association of the serotonin transporter and 5HT1D [beta] receptor genes with extreme, persistent and pervasive aggressive behaviour in children. Psychiatric Genetics, 14, 143–146.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Derogatis, L. R. (1977). SCL-90R (revised) version manual-1. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duan, J., Sanders, A., Vander Molen, J., Martinolich, L., Mowry, B., Levinson, D., et al. (2003). Polymorphisms in the 5′-untranslated region of the human serotonin receptor 1B (HTR1B) gene affect gene expression. Molecular Psychiatry, 8, 901–910.

  • Ellis, B. J., Boyce, W. T., Belsky, J., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & Van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2011). Differential susceptibility to the environment: An evolutionary-neurodevelopmental theory. Development and Psychopathology, 23, 7–28.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elovainio, M., Merjonen, P., Pulkki-Råback, L., Kivimäki, M., Jokela, M., Mattson, N., et al. (2011). Hostility, metabolic syndrome, inflammation and cardiac control in young adults: The Young Finns study. Biological Psychology, 87, 234–240.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Everson, S. A., Kauhanen, J., Kaplan, G. A., Goldberg, D. E., Julkunen, J., Tuomilehto, J., et al. (1997). Hostility and increased risk of mortality and acute myocardial infarction: The mediating role of behavioral risk factors. American Journal of Epidemiology, 146, 142–152.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gallacher, J. E. J., Yarnell, J. W. G., Sweetnam, P. M., Elwood, P. C., & Stansfeld, S. A. (1999). Anger and incident heart disease in the caerphilly study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 61, 446–453.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gottlieb, G. (2007). Probabilistic epigenesis. Developmental Science, 10, 1–11.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haukkala, A. (2002). Socio-economic differences in hostility measures: a population based study. Psychology and Health, 17, 191–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, Y., Grailhe, R., Arango, V., Hen, R., & Mann, J. J. (1999). Relationship of psychopathology to the human serotonin1B genotype and receptor binding kinetics in postmortem brain tissue. Neuropsychopharmacology, 21, 238–246.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huesmann, L. R., Eron, L. D., Lefkowitz, M. M., & Walder, L. O. (1984). Stability of aggression over time and generations. Developmental Psychology, 20, 1120–1134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hur, Y. M. (2006). Nonadditive genetic effects on hostility in South Korean adolescent and young adult twins. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 9, 637–641.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobson, N. S., Gottman, J. M., Waltz, J., Rushe, R., Babcock, J., & Holtzworth-Munroe, A. (1994). Affect, verbal content, and psychophysiology in the arguments of couples with a violent husband. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 982–988.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, K. P., Covault, J., Conner, T. S., Tennen, H., Kranzler, H. R., & Furneaux, H. M. (2009). A common polymorphism in serotonin receptor 1B mRNA moderates regulation by miR-96 and associates with aggressive human behaviors. Molecular Psychiatry, 14, 381–389.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jokela, M., Keltikangas-Järvinen, L., Kivimäki, M., Puttonen, S., Elovainio, M., Rontu, R., et al. (2007). Serotonin receptor 2A gene and the influence of childhood maternal nurturance on adulthood depressive symptoms. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64, 356–360.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kandler, C., Bleidorn, W., Riemann, R., Angleitner, A., & Spinath, F. M. (2012). Life events as environmental states and genetic traits and the role of personality: A longitudinal twin study. Behavior Genetics, 42, 57–72.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keltikangas-Järvinen, L., & Heinonen, K. (2003). Childhood roots of adulthood hostility: Family factors as predictors of cognitive and affective hostility. Child Development, 74, 1751–1768.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keltikangas-Järvinen, L., Puttonen, S., Kivimäki, M., Elovainio, M., Pulkki-Råback, L., Koivu, M., et al. (2008). Serotonin receptor genes 5HT1A and 5HT2A modify the relation between childhood temperament and adulthood hostility. Genes, Brain and Behavior, 7, 46–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keltikangas-Järvinen, L., & Räikkönen, K. (1989). Pathogenic and protective factors of type A behavior in adolescents. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 33, 591–602.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keltikangas-Järvinen, L., & Räikkönen, K. (1990). Type a factors as predictors of somatic risk factors of coronary heart disease in Young Finns: A six-year follow-up study. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 34, 89–97.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kokko, K., Pulkkinen, L., Huesmann, L. R., Dubow, E. F., & Boxer, P. (2009). Intensity of aggression in childhood as a predictor of different forms of adult aggression: A two-country (Finland and the United States) analysis. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 19, 9–34. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2009.00579x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koskenvuo, M., Kaprio, J., Rose, R. J., Kesäniemi, A., Sarna, S., Heikkilä, K., et al. (1988). Hostility as a risk factor for mortality and ischemic heart disease in men. Psychosomatic Medicine, 50, 330–340.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kubzansky, L. D., Cole, S. R., Kawachi, I., Vokonas, P., & Sparrow, D. (2006). Shared and unique contributions of anger, anxiety, and depression to coronary heart disease: A prospective study in the normative aging study. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 31, 21–29.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lappalainen, J., Long, J. C., Eggert, M., Ozaki, N., Robin, R. W., Brown, G. L., et al. (1998). Linkage of antisocial alcoholism to the serotonin 5-HT1B receptor gene in 2 populations. Archives of General Psychiatry, 55, 989–994.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lesch, K. P., & Merschdorf, U. (2000). Impulsivity, aggression, and serotonin: A molecular psychobiological perspective. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 18, 581–604.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MacCallum, R. C., Zhang, S., Preacher, K. J., & Rucker, D. D. (2002). On the practice of dichotomization of quantitative variables. Psychological Methods, 7, 19–40.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, K. A., & Angulo, J. (1980). Measurement of the type A behavior pattern in children: Assessment of children’s competitiveness, impatience-anger, and aggression. Child Development, 51, 466–475.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, K. A., & Haynes, S. C. (1986). Type A behavior pattern and coronary disease risk update and critical evaluation. American Journal of Epidemiology, 123, 923–960.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, K. A., Woodall, K. L., Kenyon, K., & Jacob, T. (1996). Negative family environment as a predictor of boy’s future status on measures of hostile attitudes, interview behavior, and anger expression. Health Psychology, 15, 30–37.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Merjonen, P., Keltikangas-Järvinen, L., Jokela, M., Seppälä, I., Lyytikäinen, L., Pulkki-Råback, L., et al. (2011a). Hostility in adolescents and adults: A genome-wide association study of the Young Finns. Translational Psychiatry, 1, e11.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Merjonen, P., Pulkki-Råback, L., & Keltikangas-Järvinen, L. (2007). Anger and cardiovascular health. In E. I. Clausen (Ed.), Psychology of anger (pp. 71–106). New York: Nova science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merjonen, P., Pulkki-Råback, L., Lipsanen, J., Lehtimäki, T., Rontu, R., Viikari, J., et al. (2011b). Development of adulthood hostile attitudes: Childhood environment and serotonin receptor gene interactions. Personal Relationships, 18, 184–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merjonen, P., Pulkki-Råback, L., Puttonen, S., Keskivaara, P., Juonala, M., Telama, R., et al. (2008). Anger is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in low SES but not in higher SES men and women. The cardiovascular risk in young finns study. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31, 35–44.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miles, D. R., & Carey, G. (1997). Genetic and environmental architecture of human aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 207–217.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, T. Q., Smith, T. W., Turner, C. W., Guijarro, M. L., & Hallet, A. J. (1996). Meta-analytic review of research on hostility and physical health. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 322.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moreno, J. K., Fuhriman, A., & Selby, M. J. (1993). Measurement of hostility, anger, and depression in depressed and nondepressed subjects. Journal of Personality Assessment, 61, 511–523.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nabi, H., Singh-Manoux, A., Ferrie, J. E., Marmot, M. G., Melchior, M., & Kivimäki, M. (2010). Hostility and depressive mood: Results from the Whitehall II prospective cohort study. Psychological Medicine, 40, 405–413.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • New, A. S., Gelernter, J., Goodman, M., Mitropoulou, V., Koenigsberg, H., Silverman, J., et al. (2001). Suicide, impulsive aggression, and HTR1B genotype. Biological Psychiatry, 50, 62–65.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Niaura, R., Banks, S. M., Ward, K. D., Stoney, C. M., Spiro, A., I. I. I., Aldwin, C. M., et al. (2000). Hostility and the metabolic syndrome in older males: The normative aging study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 62, 7–16.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pulkki-Råback, L., Elovainio, M., Kivimäki, M., Mattsson, N., Raitakari, O. T., Puttonen, S., et al. (2009). Depressive symptoms and the metabolic syndrome in childhood and adulthood: A prospective cohort study. Health Psychology, 28, 108–116.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Räikkönen, K., Katainen, S., Keskivaara, P., & Keltikangas-Järvinen, L. (2000). Temperament, mothering, and hostile attitudes: A 12-year longitudinal study. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 3–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raitakari, O. T., Juonala, M., Rönnemaa, T., Keltikangas-Järvinen, L., Räsänen, L., Pietikäinen, M., et al. (2008). Cohort profile: The cardiovascular risk in Young Finns study. International Journal of Epidemiology, 37, 1220–1226.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rebollo, I., & Boomsma, D. I. (2006). Genetic analysis of anger: Genetic dominance or competitive sibling interaction. Behavior Genetics, 36, 216–228.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Repetti, R. L., Taylor, S. E., & Seeman, T. E. (2002). Risky families: Family social environments and the mental and physical health of offspring. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 330–366.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salo, J., Jokela, M., Lehtimäki, T., & Keltikangas-Järvinen, L. (2011). Serotonin receptor 2A gene moderates the effect of childhood maternal nurturance on adulthood social attachment. Genes, Brain and Behavior, 10, 702–709.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, A. R., Duan, J., & Gejman, P. V. (2002). DNA variation and psychopharmacology of the human serotonin receptor 1B (HTR1B) gene. Pharmacogenomics, 3, 745–762.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saudou, F., Amara, D. A., Dierich, A., LeMeur, M., Ramboz, S., Segu, L., et al. (1994). Enhanced aggressive behavior in mice lacking 5-HT1B receptor. Science, 265, 1875–1878.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T. W. (1992). Hostility and health: Current status of a psychosomatic hypothesis. Health Psychology, 11, 139–150.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, E. N., Chen, W., Kähönen, M., Kettunen, J., Lehtimäki, T., Peltonen, L., et al. (2010). Longitudinal genome-wide association of cardiovascular disease risk factors in the Bogalusa heart study. PLoS Genetics, 6, e1001094.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T. W., Glazer, K., Ruiz, J. M., & Gallo, L. C. (2004). Hostility, anger, aggressiveness, and coronary heart disease: An interpersonal perspective on personality, emotion, and health. Journal of Personality, 72, 1217–1270.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thoresen, C. E., & Pattillo, J. R. (1988). Exploring the type A behavior pattern in children and adolescents. In B. K. Houston & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Type A behavior pattern: Research, theory, and intervention.wiley series on health psychology/behavioral medicine (pp. 98–145). Oxford, England: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tindle, H. A., Chang, Y. F., Kuller, L. H., Manson, J. A. E., Robinson, J. G., Rosal, M. C., et al. (2009). Optimism, cynical hostility, and incident coronary heart disease and mortality in the women’s health initiative. Circulation, 120, 656–662.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R. B. (1994). Basic biological mechanisms. In A. W. Siegman & T. W. Smith (Eds.), Anger, hostility, and the heart (pp. 117–125). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R. B., Marchuk, D. A., Gadde, K., Barefoot, J. C., Grichnik, K., Helms, M. J., et al. (2003). Serotonin-related gene polymorphisms and central nervous system serotonin function. Neuropsychopharmacology, 28, 541.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J. E., Nieto, F. J., Sanford, C. P., & Tyroler, H. A. (2001). Effects of an angry temperament on coronary heart disease risk. American Journal of Epidemiology, 154, 230–235.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the Academy of Finland Grants 117797, 126925, 121584, 117941, 12362 (L.P.R.), 258711 (L.K.J.), 258578 (M.H.), the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, the Turku University Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, the Research Foundation of the University of Helsinki (C.H.), the Emil Aaltonen Foundation (M.H. and T.L.), the Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation (M.H), the Finnish Cultural Foundation (P.M.), the Medical Research Fund of Tampere University Hospital, the Turku University Central Hospital Medical Fund, the Juho Vainio Foundation, the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research (M.H.), the Research Funds of the University of Helsinki (M.H.), the Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation (L.K.J) and the Tampere Tuberculosis Foundation.

Conflict of interest

No conflicts declared.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Liisa Keltikangas-Järvinen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hakulinen, C., Jokela, M., Hintsanen, M. et al. Serotonin receptor 1B genotype and hostility, anger and aggressive behavior through the lifespan: the Young Finns study. J Behav Med 36, 583–590 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-012-9452-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-012-9452-y

Keywords

Navigation