Understanding Anger: What’s Really Happening in Your Brain and How to Manage It
“Looking back, I don’t know if I had one day where I wasn’t experiencing annoyance, irritability, or anger in my adult life. When I got angry, I was blinded. All I could see was what I thought was “wrong”. I couldn’t connect my behavior, or the reaction I got from others, and my conscience. I would feel a physical surge in my chest, that would move to a pressure in my neck, that reached my head. My head would feel hot. There was a kind of fuzziness to the physical experience, but my heart would be racing, too, and my body would be tense all over. I never checked my blood pressure when I was so angry, but I can remember feeling really dizzy sometimes from raging so hard. “ (6)
“Hearing someone say “calm down” would enrage me more, and the intensity remained until, at some point, I was alone. And that was the worst. Once the intensity died, my memory reconnected with my conscience, and I would have deep regret, guilt, and hopelessness that I could ever change.” (6)
This account is real. It is also common. Anger is an emotion all people experience. Anger, like other emotions, is a little information flag, waving around to tell us something about ourselves. It’s usually pointing to an experience of vulnerability or hurt, and it steps up to defend us and seemingly give us more power. The role it plays is useful, however, it gets a bad rap due to what unbridled expression does to the valuable things in our world (community, interpersonal relationships, and compassion). (1) (2) (3)
What’s Going On In The Angry Brain?
An article written for the Washington Post (4) stated that the angry (emotional) brain has areas that can fire “too much”: the amygdala and the insula. The amygdala is responsible for producing positive/negative feelings and intensity connected to our emotional experiences. The insula formulates a type of brain map that allows us to perceive pain and have awareness about our body and self (how we are able to use intuition or a “gut feeling”).
The “thinking” part of our brain will judge the possible consequences of a behavior prior to acting (orbital cortex) and will activate our ability to experience empathy for another person (ventromedial prefrontal cortex). When the “thinking” brain is in less control of the “emotional” brain, emotions are intense and persuasive, and we feel it all over our body. (4)
The brainstem area of our brains makes norepinephrine, which is a part of our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). Increases in this bind the “thinking” brain and activate the “emotional” brain, particularly when external stress increases. (4)
Anger Triggers
We all have things that stir up anger in us:
Disempowerment- perceptual and real experiences of feeling excluded, rejected, devalued, or disempowered can cause anger to surface.
Stress- work, events, family, obligation, trauma, personal aims, failure. These are just some examples of life experiences that increase stress in a person's life. For a child, dysfunction in the family or exposure to harsh/inconsistent parenting creates a higher likelihood of exhibiting anger.
Injustice- feeling shame, unfairly treated, or wronged, the insula can become overly active, giving the body an experience of unease or discomfort. Children are affected by not getting what they want or having to do something they do not wish to do.
Biology- ADHD, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, autism, OCD, Tourette’s syndrome, or other chronic medical conditions (4)(5)
The Myth
Anger isn’t the bad guy. Not really (video below). It is, however, a big culprit in increased arousal levels that end counterproductively. It’s to our advantage to know how to navigate ourselves when angry. So much research exists about using a cognitive angle (CBT) to treat anger and help people discover the meanings they have attached to their anger. In addition to this, treatment is effective when focusing on alternative methods to defuse rage and fury. (1)(2)
A recent meta-analytic review on anger by Brad Bushman, from Ohio State University (1) points out the importance of debunking the myth that venting anger is beneficial. “There is no scientific evidence to support the idea of catharsis through venting.” Instead, it is better to reflect on why we are angry and address underlying issues. While physical exertion can have health benefits, simply venting anger may not actually improve the mood. It is important to validate emotions and process them in a healthy way. These findings interestingly deduced that a reduction of anger is best approached through arousal-reducing activities, as opposed to arousal-increasing activities. (1)(2)
Increasing vs Decreasing
Arousal increasing activities, such as jogging or running, did not reduce anger, and in some instances, increased anger. "Certain physical activities that increase arousal may be good for your heart, but they're definitely not the best way to reduce anger," said Bushman. "It's really a battle because angry people want to vent, but our research shows that any good feeling we get from venting actually reinforces aggression." (1)(2)
In both the lab and the field, arousal-decreasing activities reduced anger. The review pointed out that slow-flow yoga, mindfulness, progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, taking a timeout, and physically exerting activities if they are fun are quite effective at reducing anger. It was recommended that instead of “venting your anger,” you try calming tactics that have already shown their effectiveness in easing stress. (1)(2)
When Anger Starts To Take Over
Implement grounding exercises you have practiced.
Pause, remain silent, and assess your body. Know what exits to take if you need to change your surroundings.
Breathe more slowly and with more control to lower stress hormone levels, reduce physical discomfort, and help activate the “thinking” brain.
“What is my anger telling me?” Acknowledging what is under the anger can help us feel less at the mercy of it, and asking this question keeps the “thinking” brain going. (3)(4)
Here is a helpful video that further expands on the subject: The Surprising Function of "Negative" Emotions: How to Process Your Emotions
https://www.psychiatrist.com/news/it-might-be-time-to-rethink-how-we-handle-anger/
Anonymous personal interview
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