This is HowAnger Affects Our Brain and Body
Expressed or not express, the fact of feeling that “thing” burning into you, is already revealing that there is something going on inside your body and your nervous system
Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. — Mark Twain
Anger we all feel that, it is part of the palette of human emotions. The difference is that some of us have great ways of dealing with that emotion: meeting it with understanding and decreasing the negative behaviours resulting from it. But not all of us are that well armed to deal with it efficiently (me included).
So for those of you out there who like me are curious to know more about anger and how it can negatively affect our health and intellect, this one bellow will be of interest.
Did you ever get mad or angry towards a person or a situation? Did you express it or not ?
Expressed or not express, the fact of feeling that “thing” burning into you, is already revealing that there is something going on inside your body and your nervous system.
But first thing first, why do we get angry?
In a previous article I wrote about anger, I explored several roots of anger looking at a biblical and traditional psychological perspective. Here let’s see what the behavioural medecine points out as sources of anger.
This is a summary from a publication I recently read published by NICABM: The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioural Medicine.
According to NICABM, there are 5 sources of anger:
Disappointment — Frustration — Judgment — Rejection — Fear.
How does the trigger of any of those impact our brain and body?
Every time there is any or a combination of the above triggers, it sends a signal to our amygdala (part of our brain that plays an important role in the regulationof our emotions) before we are even aware of it.
Once the amygdala is activated, this connects the dots until it reaches the hypothalamus (main role of regulating certain metabolic processes in our body) this one signals the pituitary gland by discharging corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH).
The pituitary activates the adrenal glands by releasing adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). The adrenal glands are the ones secreting stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline.
This is how stress hormones affect our body
Cardiovascular system:
- Increased heart rate
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased arterial tension
- Increased blood glucose levels
- Increased blood fatty acids level.
When these symptoms become chronic, blood vessels become clogged and damaged. This can lead to stroke and heart attack.
Immune system:
- Decreased thyroid function
- Decreased number of natural killer cells
- Increased number of virus-infected cells
- Increased incidence of cancer
Digestive system:
- Decreased blood flow
- Decreased metabolism
- Increased dry mouth
By this snapshot you can already have an idea of what is happening in our body when we get mad/angry. There is a lot going on underneath the expression of anger. And what is going on internally only harms the one expressing the emotion, not the one it intends to reach (aka the one we are mad at).
Not only does it negatively impact our body, it also have some negative impacts on our brain.
Consequences of anger behaviour/s on our intellect/our brain
Decreased efficiency of the Hippocampus and the Prefrontal cortex
Elevated cortisol causes neurons to accept too much calcium through their membrane. A calcium overload can make celss fire too frequently and die. The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) are particularly vulnerable to cortisol and these negative effects. Suppressed activity in the PFC prevents us from using our best judgment, keeps us from making good decisions and planning for the future. Suppressed activity in the hippocampus weakens short term memory, it also prevents us from forming new memories properly. This is why you often seem not to be able to remember what you want to say in an argument..
Decreased serotonin — the “happy hormone”
Too much cortisol will decrease serotonin levels. A decrease in serotonin can make you feel anger and pain more easily, as well as increase aggressive behaviour and often lead to depression.
How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it? — Marcus Aurelius
Until next time, take good care of you. Remember: we only control ourselves, our attitudes and behaviours, not those of others. Stay safe and healthy.
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