Two-thirds of women surveyed by the British Heart Foundation said they were more concerned about the health of family and friends than their own.
Psychologists said this behaviour was likely to be evolutionary to ensure the individual's genes are passed on.
Dr. Rick O'Gorman, an expert in the psychology of altruism at the University of Essex, said: "Mothers in particular are famous for sacrificing themselves for the benefit of their children.
"Women may tend to be concerned about the health of significant others because of social norms relating to women." Belinda Linden of the British Heart Foundation said: "Women can be their own worst enemies when it comes to looking after their health - neglecting their own needs in favour of looking after their loved ones.
"The sad reality is that thousands of women die from heart and circulatory disease and we desperately want to stop so many women and their families from being affected."
In the survey, most women perceived men to be at greater risk of heart disease, even though similar numbers of men and women die from it in the UK each year.
