Contrary to popular belief, anger is not a negative or unhealthy emotion and suppressing anger is psychologically unhealthy. But rather what we do with an anger could be unhealthy and maladaptive. When a person suppresses his anger, he is merely saving it for later, since his thought processes are stored in memory. Often, such people accumulate so much anger that they resort to verbal and physical aggression due to the anxiety that accompanies it. In these cases, there is no logical thought process and the person experiencing the anger is deemed unstable, or in need of counseling.
According to research done by Stanford University, while people generally prefer pleasant emotions over negative ones, they actually prefer to experience anger when faced with a mentally challenging situation. The researchers explain that anger improves and quickens the brain’s ability to logically and analytically process information, assuming this anger has not been accumulated. Coincidentally, the human brain has a tendency to categorize the memories it stores, and to recur old memories when experience the same state of mind. For example, some memories can be categorized as happy or sad memories; however, the brain needs to understand the memory it stores, in order to classify it. As such, when a person suppresses his anger, the brain memorizes the situation, and deems it as an unresolved memory. Thus, next time this person experiences anger, this unresolved memory will recur, accompanied by anxiety. Therefore, the thought process and course of actions that occur after an accumulation of anger are illogical because the thought processes that were needed in the past recur along with the thought process needed in the present, due to the brain’s association of anger with previous situations that required anger. In other words, when a person gets mad about a mentally challenging issue and processes and deals with it at a time as it happens, the brain will function with optimal performance. Based on a study done by the University of Santa Barbara, the logical thought process that comes from anger leads to better decision taking, assuming once again, that anger has not been accumulated.
Now is this also true for people with an anger problem? More to come...
For more information on the upcoming Montreal Anger Management Groups
Contact Dr. Bita 514-999-2482, info@drbita.com
By Erwin Paydar
Blogger at Clinique Dr. Bita
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