7 Negative Effects Of Anger, Can Lower Health Conditions

Illustration of the effects of anger on health (Unsplash/Usman Yousaf)

JAKARTA – Feelings are not good to be kept, but they need to be released in the right way. Anger, for example, is often expressed by yelling or doing destructive things. Well, anger itself turns out to have a big effect on health, you know.

Reported by Everyday Health, Wednesday, October 6, based on facts showing that angry people can think more rationally. But when you get angry in an unhealthy way, such as holding your anger down and vice versa, having a bad temper tantrum can wreak havoc on your health.

If your patience is running low, then cultivating and replenishing it can be far from the following 7 negative effects below.

1. Risk to the heart

According to Chris Aiken, MD., an instructor and clinical psychiatrist at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and director of the Mood Treatment Center in North Carolina, anger damages the heart the most. Within two hours of an outburst of anger, a person is twice as likely to have a heart attack. While holding back anger can also lead to the same risk.

2. Increase the risk of having a stroke

A study found there is a three times higher risk experienced by someone when often angry. The risk of having blood clots in the brain or bleeding in the brain, triggering a stroke. Mary Fristad, Ph.D., a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University, suggests you should consider positive coping strategies that reduce your risk of declining health.

3. Weakens the immune system

Just remembering an experience that ignites anger, according to research from Harvard University, can lower levels of immunoglobulin A antibodies for 6 hours. The coping strategies suggested by Fristad include communicating decisively and solving problems effectively.

Even Fristad also suggests using humor to release anger. He also recommends reordering thoughts that are black and white or right and wrong, to be more heterogeneous. But the first step that needs to be passed is to know how to calm down.

4. Anxiety increases

Anger and anxiety are a pair of issues that can go hand in hand. A 2012 study in the journal Cognitive Behavior Therapy found that anger can worsen symptoms of generalized anxiety.

5. Anger is also linked to depression

Aiken suggested, for someone who is emotional or irritable, it is necessary to keep themselves busy with positive activities to avoid the risk of overthinking to depression. This positive activity is useful for attracting focus so that there is no room for burning emotions in your head or chest.

Illustration of relieving anger (Unsplash/Jonas Vandermeiren)

6. Decrease lung function

A group of scientists at Harvard University involved 670 male participants for 8 years to measure the level of anger and assess what changes occur in their lungs.

Men who had poor levels of hostility were significantly at risk for breathing problems. The increase in stress hormones when red has an effect on inflammation in one of the channels in the lungs.

7. Anger shortens life

Fristad added, stress and anger can shorten your life. The study that proved these findings was conducted at the University of Michigan for 17 years and found that couples who hold back anger have shorter life spans. Meanwhile, couples who are able to communicate positively are happier and live longer.

How to manage emotions so that anger does not explode and reduce the quality of both physical and mental health? Follow the reviews on VOI.