The Biggest Myth of Anger Management
Whether in social protests or individual arguments, we’re told it’s healthy to vent. Science finds the opposite.
Shout, shout, let it all out. Great lyrics (thanks, Tears for Fears). Lousy advice for real-life anger management, and a potentially dangerous approach to social protests.
While you might’ve heard it’s helpful to vent your anger—and plenty of people are doing it all around the US and globally right now—scientists have busted that myth. And new research reveals that failing to productively channel or quell your own anger is really bad for your health, raising the risk for a heart attack or stroke.
None of this suggests anger is somehow wrong, nor that expressing it is necessarily harmful. Nor does this article seek to take sides on any societal issues.
The goal is to examine the science of anger, which has advanced notably of late, to better understand why so many people are mad as hell, and what each individual might wish to know about how their anger affects their well-being. So let’s review:
The roots of anger
Anger is a natural emotion. There’s no inherent good or bad in it, and none of us can prevent it from arising sometimes. Psychologists say it’s…
