The nature of anger

We usually think of anger negatively: unhappiness, unpredictability, danger, aggression, impatience, and other reactions nobody would call healthy or helpful.

But in some situations anger can serve us. It can push you to leave a toxic workplace or relationship, crack a stubborn problem, fight for a just cause, or take other actions with real potential to be rewarding.

Anger and the body

Anger is not just an emotion - it is a physiological reaction, part of your body's built-in "fight or flight" response to threat. It sets off a cascade of changes:

A flood of stress hormones makes the heart beat faster and pushes more blood to the muscles and organs.

Blood pressure and pulse rate rise.

Breathing quickens, so the lungs take in extra oxygen - you become more alert, and your senses, including sight and hearing, sharpen.

A surge of the hormone epinephrine raises blood glucose, giving the body more energy to act - to flee or to fight.

What causes anger?

Anger is more than a physical reaction. Psychologically, it is a normal emotional response to a person or situation you believe has treated you unfairly, or has hurt or harmed you in some way.

Anger surfaces when you feel threatened - emotionally, physically, financially, or otherwise. At the root of much anger lies a sense of powerlessness. When we cannot fix or improve a situation - a traffic jam, a job loss, a breakup, a chronic illness - frustration, sadness, and disappointment often converge into anger. Anger can also be tied to long-held feelings from bullying, trauma, neglect, abuse, rejection, discrimination, or other struggles reaching back to childhood.

Channeling anger

The point is not to eliminate anger but to channel it constructively. Happiness and contentment alone cannot meet all of life's challenges; we need the full range of emotions to succeed in jobs, relationships, and everyday matters. But because poorly controlled anger carries real risks, it pays to learn how to manage this response.