Anger is hurting us in more ways than we realize

Someone cuts us off in traffic, our flight gets delayed, or the online order never shows up — these things are annoying, and it’s perfectly understandable that we might get angry when they happen. Anger is a normal human emotion and an important one that can tell us when we are being treated unfairly or when others are not meeting our expectations.

Emotions always serve a purpose by allowing us to move or react in certain ways. But when the emotion becomes intense, as anger often can, it can have consequences on our mental and physical health if we are angry too often. We can avoid and not face our emotions, which normally causes us to blow up later. Or we can explode in irrational ways, especially when faced with an emotion as intense as anger. Not only that, but constantly feeling angry can impact our physical health as well.

Your heart

When someone does something like cut you off, your heart races, and as the expression goes, “your blood boils.” Well, there’s some truth to that. Researchers explored how three distinct emotions — anger, anxiety, and sadness — affect heart health. Participants were divided into three groups: one group performed a task that induced anger, another engaged in an activity that caused anxiety, and the third completed an exercise designed to evoke sadness. The scientists then assessed the blood vessel function in each participant by using a blood pressure cuff to intermittently restrict and release blood flow in the arm. The results showed that participants in the anger group experienced poorer blood flow compared to the other groups; their blood vessels did not dilate as effectively.

“We speculate that chronic exposure to anger could damage your arteries over time, increasing the risk of heart disease.” - Dr. Daichi Shimbo, a professor of medicine at Columbia University and the study's lead author. 

Your gastrointestinal system

Ever get so nervous that your stomach starts to hurt? Anger can have a similar effect. When a person becomes angry, the body releases various proteins and hormones that elevate inflammation levels. Persistent inflammation can increase the risk of numerous diseases. 

Stephen Lupe, director of behavioral medicine at the Cleveland Clinic’s department of gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition, explains that the body’s sympathetic nervous system, or “fight or flight” system, is activated when we get angry. This redirects blood away from the gut to major muscles, slowing down movement in the GI tract and potentially causing constipation.

Additionally, the spaces between cells in the intestinal lining open up, allowing more food and waste to enter these gaps. This increases inflammation, which can lead to symptoms like stomach pain, bloating, and constipation. This further adds to the feeling of anger as now you are upset at the situation but also that your stomach hurts. It’s a double whammy of emotions. 

Your brain

Anger can harm our brain's cognitive functions, says Joyce Tam, an assistant professor at Rush University Medical Center. It affects the prefrontal cortex, which controls attention, decision-making, and emotion regulation.

When we're angry, stress hormones are released into the bloodstream. High levels of these hormones can damage nerve cells in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, which is crucial for memory. Frequent or prolonged anger can lead to problems with decision-making, attention, and memory.

So what can we do?

Just stopping being angry is easier said than done when it’s a very normal human emotion. But there are things we can do to stop the frequency and more effectively manage the anger so the emotion is not so intense on the body.

Helpful thoughts for “In the Moment”:

• Just keep breathing — in through the nose, out through the mouth.

• Tell yourself this feeling won’t last forever.

• Remind yourself that you’ve been angry before and got through it, and you will now.

• It is okay to remove yourself from the situation so that you can take some time to de-escalate before addressing the issue. 

Reminders any time:

• Feelings of anger are valid and can give you clues as to what’s going on in your life.

• There is more than one way to solve a problem.

• People are unique and have different points of view that might not be the same as your own.

• You may not have created the circumstance you are in right now, but you have the power to solve it.

And most importantly, you don’t need to do this alone. If the emotions are too overwhelming or the situation is too complex, you should ask for help. This is where counseling can come in — providing you with an unbiased, non-judgmental third party to help you navigate your emotions and the situation. Being angry for too long or too frequently isn’t good mentally or physically, and counsellors on the TELUS Health MyCare app can help. Appointments are 50 minutes long, $120 per session and are often covered by extended benefits.