I recently learned the history of the term “Type A,” and I was surprised to discover it wasn’t coined by a psychologist.
It came from two cardiologists—and, according to the famous story, some unusually worn-out chairs.
In the 1950s, San Francisco cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman began noticing that many of their patients seemed to share a distinctive behavioral style. They were highly driven, competitive, impatient, tense, and seemingly always in a hurry.
The story goes that an upholsterer pointed out something unusual about the chairs in their waiting room: the front edges were wearing out much faster than the rest. Their cardiac patients, it seemed, weren’t exactly sitting back and relaxing. They were literally sitting on the edges of their seats.
It obviously wasn’t scientific evidence, but it helped spark a fascinating question:
Could the way we move through life affect the heart?
In 1959, Friedman and Rosenman published a landmark study in the Journal of the American Medical Associationtitled “The Association of Specific Overt Behavior Pattern with Blood and Cardiovascular Findings.” They compared 83 men they believed displayed what they called Type-A behavior with men who exhibited more relaxed, Type-B behavior.
Type-A behavior was characterized by an intense drive for achievement, competitiveness, and a persistent sense of time pressure. In their study, clinical coronary heart disease was seven times more common in the Type-A group.
During the 1960s and ’70s, Type-A behavior became one of the most influential early models connecting psychological and behavioral factors with physical disease. In 1974, Friedman and Rosenman published their book, Type A Behavior and Your Heart.
Over the years, however, researchers discovered that the relationship wasn’t nearly so simple. Type-A behavior itself has not been established as an independent cause of heart disease, and subsequent research has suggested that specific characteristics—such as hostility, anger, and chronic stress—may be more important than the broad Type-A label.
Still, their work helped advance the study of how psychological and behavioral factors can affect physical health.
That subject has become a little more personal for me lately.
I recently had some mild cardiac findings and found myself wondering how much my own Type-A behavior might contribute to my overall physical state—or even the emotional state of the people around me.
After all, they do call high blood pressure hyper-tension.
I once met a hard-charging executive who appeared to be in peak physical shape for his age. Every time I greeted him with my signature, “What’s up?!” he gave me the same answer:
“My blood pressure!”
Friedman himself apparently knew something about this struggle.
A self-professed “recovering Type A,” he attended Yale and Johns Hopkins Medical School and was reportedly nicknamed “Cannonball” in the Army because of the way he charged down hallways to see patients, telling them to “just get to the point.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Friedman developed angina at 45 and later suffered two heart attacks.
Much later in life, he reflected that “such frantic behavior is not always the hallmark of a successful person.”
He eventually began teaching “Type-B” classes to cardiac patients. He encouraged them to leave their watches at home for the day, drive in the slow lane, read classics, or deliberately choose the longest line at the grocery store.
More importantly, he began practicing what he preached. He reportedly made an effort to stop criticizing his wife and lecturing his children. His family said he had become much more Type B by the time he died in 2001.
I’ve been exploring a question in my journal over the past few weeks that has been surprisingly fruitful:
“Where in my life am I adding tension that doesn’t really need to be there?”
That question has helped me identify situations in which I can clearly choose a different reaction.
And I’m discovering that there are more of them than I would like to admit.
It hasn’t been easy to break these habits, but I believe it will be worth it—for my heart, and for the people I love.
The people I lead don’t need more urgency from me; they need more steadiness.
My family doesn’t need more intensity from me; they need more presence.
And my closest friends probably don’t need me to make everything faster, better, or more efficient. Sometimes they just need me to relax.
I have a longtime mentor who frequently says that one of his biggest goals in life is to become “a non-anxious presence.”
I’m beginning to understand why.
If you’d like to know more about that idea, you can read my post on becoming a non-anxious presence.
And if all of this has you wondering about your own Type-A tendencies, I’ve developed a highly sophisticated diagnostic instrument below.
By “highly sophisticated,” I mean I made it up.
Disclaimer: This quiz is not a scientific instrument or personality test and has no established predictive value. It was created for humorous purposes—and perhaps to get you thinking about how Type-A behavior may influence your life, relationships, and body.
The Completely Unscientific Type-A Quiz
How to score each question:
0 = Absolutely not me
1 = Rarely
2 = Sometimes
3 = Often
4 = Disturbingly accurate
1. You’re walking behind someone who is moving slowly.
A. I enjoy the scenery.
B. I casually pass them.
C. I start calculating whether another route would be faster.
D. I am now emotionally involved in their walking speed.
2. Someone says, “We have plenty of time.”
Your immediate internal response is:
A. “Great!”
B. “Probably.”
C. “Define ‘plenty.’”
D. “This is what people say who are always late.”
3. You’re doing something you enjoy—hiking, biking, cooking, playing a game—and discover you’re getting better at it.
A. Cool.
B. Nice.
C. I wonder what I could improve next.
D. I begin looking up classes, books, or YouTube videos that can help me get better as fast as possible.
4. You’re waiting in a checkout line, and another line appears to be moving faster.
A. I stay put.
B. I consider switching.
C. I switch.
D. I switch, realize I chose incorrectly, and spend the next four minutes monitoring the original line.
5. Someone tells you, “Just relax.”
A. I relax.
B. I try.
C. I become annoyed by the suggestion.
D. I want to explain to them why they are lazy and immediately begin compiling supporting evidence.
6. You’re driving and arrive somewhere 10 minutes early.
A. Wonderful—I can relax.
B. I scroll my phone.
C. I find a way to use the time productively.
D. I think about everything I could have accomplished with the 10 minutes I wasted by being early.
7. You’re having a disagreement with someone and realize they’re probably right.
A. “You’re right.”
B. “Hmm…maybe.”
C. I need additional evidence.
D. I suddenly become a constitutional lawyer defending my original position.
8. You make a mistake doing something you’ve done hundreds of times.
A. Everybody makes mistakes.
B. Mildly annoying.
C. How on earth did I screw that up?
D. I will be thinking about this mistake at 4:17 a.m. in 2031.
9. You’re relaxing on the couch and suddenly remember something you could be doing.
A. I ignore it.
B. I make a mental note.
C. I get up and do it.
D. I feel guilty for being unproductive. Relaxation has now been canceled.
10. You hear someone say, “It’s not a competition.”
Your brain says:
A. “Exactly.”
B. “Well, I guess.”
C. “Actually, yes, that’s exactly what this is.”
D. “That’s what someone planning to lose would say.”
11. Someone mentions a new book, podcast, seminar, or system that could improve your performance.
A. I’m good.
B. I might check it out someday.
C. I’ve already added it to my list.
D. I’m currently reading five personal-development books, never miss a Huberman podcast, and have already booked the next Tony Robbins event.
Your Score
0–10: The Zen Master
You may actually be relaxed. Scientists are studying you.
11–20: Mild Type A
You like getting things done, but you’re still capable of sitting through a red light without taking it personally.
21–30: Moderate Type A
You probably have a strong achievement/time-urgency streak. “Good enough” is something you understand intellectually, although you are offended by the term.
31–36: Advanced Type A
You don’t walk—you make forward progress. You frequently use terms like “lock in” and “get after it.”
37–44: You Are Currently Scrutinizing the Validity and Reliability of This Quiz
You’ve probably already calculated your percentile, questioned the scoring methodology, and wondered whether this quiz has any “real” value.
Hopefully you laughed because you recognized yourself in at least a few of these.
But humor aside, take some time this weekend to consider a more serious question:
Where in your life are you adding tension that doesn’t really need to be there?
Maybe the goal isn’t to stop caring, stop achieving, or stop pushing ourselves to become better.
Maybe it’s learning that not everything needs to feel like an emergency.
Our hearts—and perhaps the people around us—might appreciate it.
Have a great weekend!
Parker
Additional Resources
- LA Times Science and Medicine, 2001. Meyer Freidman; Doctor Identified Type A Behavior.
