Born This Way?
Emotions like anger trigger our body’s “fight-or-flight” response, driving the release of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which speed up heart rate and give us the boost of energy we need to confront or escape from a dangerous situation. Unfortunately, our bodies can’t distinguish between the fight-or-flight response needed to evade, say, a giant predator, and the response needed to react to an obnoxious coworker. And while this stress response is an evolutionary advantage in an emergency, it causes harm to the body when activated on a regular basis.
Science suggests that some of us may be hard-wired to react to stressful situations in healthier ways than others. According to a study published in the Public Library of Science journal, approximately one in 20 children and adults exhibits clinically significant anger, hostility and aggression, and these outbursts may be associated with impaired neural circuits that regulate emotion, cognition and inhibition.
The Angry Lifestyle
In addition to our genetic predisposition to anger and learned anger management skills, frequent anger can lead to poor lifestyle choices that can cause health problems, including smoking, drinking and recreational drug use. A 2012 study by Northeastern University also showed that, among study participants, anger led to riskier decision-making, which can lead to dangers such as car accidents triggered by road rage.
In addition to the health risks associated with these poor lifestyle choices, which can range from liver failure to lung cancer, the health problems below have all been linked to chronic anger and the stress it can create for our bodies.
Heart Attack and Stroke
It should come as no surprise for anyone who has felt the tight chest and pounding heart that comes with white-hot rage that anger is bad for our tickers. According to a 2014 study published in the European Heart Journal, in the two hours after an angry outburst, a person’s risk of a heart attack increases five-fold, while risk of stroke increases three-fold. The study further noted that absolute risks increased depending on the participant’s frequency of anger -- in other words, whether it was an isolated angry outburst as compared to frequent, regular outbursts on behalf of the participant. What causes this? Other studies have shown that high levels of cortisol and adrenaline -- two hormones released by the body during periods of stress and anger -- can cause wear and tear on our hearts and cardiovascular systems over time. Higher levels of these hormones may lead to faster rates of atherosclerosis, the process in which fatty plaque builds up in the arteries, which puts us at greater risk of stroke.
During our periods of anger, our hearts beat faster and blood vessels constrict, causing an increase in blood pressure, which can cause damage to artery walls and wear on our hearts. These can put us at greater risk of a heart attack.
Anxiety and Depression
When we rage, we don’t rage in a vacuum. Our angry outbursts often have a target, and that target may grow weary of being on the receiving end of our anger. Chronic anger can cause disruption in our social networks, jobs and family relationships, leading to isolation, career setbacks, and other factors that can cause anxiety and depression.
Chemically speaking, during periods of acute stress, glucocorticoids -- a type of adrenal steroid -- promote survival by mobilizing the body’s energy reserves. However, overproduction of these substances can cause serious disruption in cellular function, which can lead to widespread physiological dysfunction.
Digestive Imbalances
When we have to bite our tongues about being passed up for a promotion or deal with the stress of a nasty divorce, our digestive tracts may pay the price. We may find ourselves struggling with nausea, upset stomachs or cramping, all signs of a digestive imbalance.
A 2012 Harvard Health article notes that stress and anger can “affect the movement and contractions of the GI tract, cause inflammation, or make you more susceptible to infection.” Simply put, chronic anger can put you at risk for digestive problems, which certainly won’t improve your mood.
Longer Healing Times:
A quick Google search will deliver thousands of examples of people achieving seemingly impossible recoveries, from surgeries, accidents or illnesses. And while each story has a different beginning, middle and end, in most of these stories there is a common theme -- the patient maintained a positive frame of mind and determination to overcome the challenge they were given. This may not be a coincidence.
A study conducted by Ohio State University found that psychological stress has a direct impact on the body’s ability to heal itself after an injury or surgery, which can lead to infections, longer hospital stays, surgical complications and other health risks.
Pulmonary Functions
For some, our anger is often accompanied by a tight chest and difficulty breathing. Some studies suggest that there may be a link between anger and airway inflammation, which causes those feelings of breathlessness.
A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that men with higher rates of hostility not only had poorer pulmonary functions at the time of the angry outburst, but also experienced higher rates of pulmonary decline as they aged.
Chronic Fatigue
Chronic anger wears you out. Psychologist John Bradshaw compares repressed anger to holding a beach ball under water. It takes effort to hold the ball down, because it continually wants to rise. Similarly, emotions need to be released -- it requires effort to suppress feelings of anger and frustration -- which can lead to a feeling of chronic fatigue and exhaustion.
Not only does this feeling of fatigue wear on you, but it also can mean missing out on family events, social plans and other stress-busting activities that can ease your stress levels, creating a vicious cycle.
Leaving a Legacy:
Anger management skills aren’t just important for adults. Studies show that children and adolescents who have difficulty coping with their frustration suffer from a wider variety of general and mental health problems and have difficulty with interpersonal relationships. Because anger management skills are learned, it’s doubly important for parents to learn successful coping methods, both to increase our own health and longevity and to pass those skills on to our children so that they can benefit from them throughout their own lives.