The Relationship Between Hostile Interpretation Bias and Aggression in Adults: A Systematic Review and Three-Level Meta-Analysis.

Hostile interpretation bias is a key cognitive factor associated with aggression; however, empirical research findings among adult populations remain inconsistent and lack systematic integration. This study aimed to quantitatively synthesise the association between hostile interpretation bias and aggression in adults and to examine potential moderators. A systematic search across 7 Chinese and English databases, initially covering records through December 13, 2025 and updated through March 16, 2026, identified 40 eligible studies, comprising 43 independent samples, 89 effect sizes, and a total sample size of 27,399. A three-level meta-analysis was conducted to account for the dependence among multiple effect sizes from the same study. Meta-analytic findings showed a moderate positive correlation between hostile interpretation bias and aggression (r = .304). Moderation analyses further showed that the individualism-collectivism cultural dimension, aggression type (reactive vs. proactive), and aggression form (physical vs. verbal) significantly moderated this association. Specifically, the association strength was higher in cultures with stronger collectivist tendencies, reactive aggression, and physical aggression. Overall, these findings suggest that biased interpretations of ambiguous social cues are reliably associated with adult aggression, which is consistent with social information processing and related cognitive models. The results further suggest that prevention-oriented interventions may need to consider cultural context and aggression subtype, although causal and clinical implications require further evidence.