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Recent behavioral and biomedical research has suggested that psychophysiologic responsiveness (reactivity) to emotional stress may be a marker of processes involved in the development of cardiovascular disorders. The assessment of reactivity focuses on acute changes in functioning as opposed to the sole assessment of resting levels of variables. Evidence is reviewed that links behaviorally induced cardiovascular and endocrine changes to coronary heart disease and essential hypertension. Particular attention is given to methodologic issues involving measurement. Different tasks and situations appear to elicit different patterns of physiologic responses. Reactivity per se should currently not be regarded as a proven risk factor. It is suggested that evidence does, however, justify continued laboratory and naturalistic hypothesis-testing research. The authors recommend methodologic studies to identify (a) the …