Social dominance, the tendency to exercise social influence and control, has been positively associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) risk among males, independent of biomedical risk factors and hostility. Exposure to dominant others behaviors also has been associated with elevated CHD risk. For females, submissiveness and a constellation of psychosocial behaviors opposite to urgency and competitiveness have been associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The studies extend a growing literature concerning the central role of social relationships in health and illness and they test a theoretical model that addresses why social relationships and interpersonally-oriented person variables such as dominance may have differing consequences for the physical well-being of men and women.