Research has revealed that angry people aged between 20 and 40 were one-and-a-half times more likely to be dead 35 years later than those who were happier.
Researchers from Iowa State University, United States (U.S.)believe this is as a result of a number of factors relating stress to physiological damage. The frequent release of adrenaline during periods of distress causes damage to the Deoxy ribo-Nucleic Acid (DNA)/genetic material, which could lead to life-threatening illnesses such as multiple sclerosis.
Feelings of frustration and anger produces a heightened response in the amygdala, the part of the brain associated with survival instincts.
Angry emotions prompt the amygdala to signal a heightened state of anxiety to the remaining parts of the human body and brain, thereby increasing blood flow to the limbs and heart, which makes relaxation almost impossible.
According to neuroscientists at the University of Massachusetts U.S, people exposed to anger-inducing stimuli, without relieving themselves or talking about how they felt, are more likely to experience insomnia than those who engage in an emotional ‘debrief’.
“Writing down the cause of your anger frees up the space in your head, dampening the fear response and encouraging relaxation,” says Director of the British Association of Anger Management, Mike Fisher.
Emotions such as excitement or anger result in the release of stress hormones cortisol, adrenaline and testosterone, which put the body into flight or flight mode.
Such chemical surge increases blood flow to the brain and activates the swelling of both blood vessels and nerves surrounding the brain.
When we feel angry, neurotransmitters and hormones are sent through the bloodstream which, in turn, increase both the heart rate and muscle tension. This is the body’s state of alert.
Frequent occurrence of this reaction puts a strain on neurons in the hypothalamus, the brain’s ‘stress control centre’, meaning that it becomes harder for the neurons to switch off. And the ‘happy hormone’ serotonin is significantly depleted in some aggressive individuals.
Repressing, rather than expressing anger puts an individual at an even higher risk of developing health problems. A University of Chicago analysis reported a particularly increased risk of hypertension for angry individuals who tended to keep their anger ‘below a level of consciousness’.
