Whether you’re feeling mildly stabby or in a full-on Hulk rage,
psychologists reckon there are three basic reasons to get angry:
when expectations aren’t met (the last Freddo you thought was in
the fridge is no longer there); when something is seen as a threat
(that tailgating arsehole on the freeway who doesn’t understand
safe braking distance); or when attempting to hide other emotions
(I’m not crying, I can’t let anyone else see I have the sads!).Studies out of the University of Massachusetts show most of us
get angry at least several times a week, if not several times a day.
Which is maybe not surprising, when there’s so much to get the
irrits about. Adults, apparently, get most stroppy when they’re
feeling out of control, while kids will resort to tantrums when
frustrated (that damn missing Freddo!). Even babies are wired for
fury – from an evolutionary standpoint, they need to be. Getting
angry means people are more likely to give you what you want,
especially if that’s a dry nappy and a nice drink of milk.Once an outside angrifying event occurs, it’s dealt with in our
amygdalae – two small, nut-shaped parts of the brain that process
emotions – which trigger the production of neurotransmitters called
adrenaline and noradrenaline. These give us energy and strength for
several minutes, basically prepping us to punch on if needs be. Our
muscles tense and our heart rate increases, forcing blood pressureup, making us breathe faster, and literally heating our bodies.
We might even go red in the face and get a bit sweaty.But, as demonstrated by the fact that we’ve all misplaced a Freddo
without massacring anyone, we needn’t act on this chemical rage.
If we’re lucky, our cerebral cortex kicks in – the brain part that
enables us to control ourinstincts with judgmentand soothing
anger management mantras. Everyone’s heads remain attached
to their bodies, and we all live to get angry another day.Many scientists think genetics are an important factor in anger-
making, and German researchers have even found the gene
mutations that make some of us more likely to rant and swear and
tell others to perform unlikely sex acts on their mums. In news that
will shock no one, evolutionary psychologists reckon men are more
prone to getting angry than women, since, in the classic caveman
scenario, a big angry guy is more likely to see off marauders, stop a
war, or just get a bigger slice of giant prehistoric wombat barbeque.
Even in non-wombat barbeque times, anger can help us get what
we want. Specifically, it can give us an edge in creativity: research
in theJournal of Experimental Social Psychologyshows that anger
makes our thoughts less structured and systematic, which can lead
to creative outcomes. So maybe pick up a paintbrush next time you
feel a bit punchy – you could have a non-systematic hit on your hands.Feeling the rage when wedon’tget what we want also helps us
focus on our goals – when the world is against us, we’re more
likely to be motivated to prove those haters wrong. One experiment
in Boston showed that angry people tend to pay more attention
to rewards than threats. Participants were made to write about
a rage-inducing memory while being played angry music for
five minutes, then they were shown two pictures: one depicting
a knife-wielding maniac; the other a couple getting all sexy.
An eye-tracking device monitored which they paid most attention
to, and the sexy times won. Proving angry people are good at
shutting out obstacles and going for what they want. Hopefully
in a healthy and non-stabby way.the science of anger
SOMETIMES RAGE CAN BE GOOD FOR
YOU. JUST PLEASE DON’T PUNCH
ANYONE WHO GETS IN YOUR WAY.
Wor d s Jo WalkerPhotoClassicstocklearn something new