The Science of Anger
Anger is something that we all feel, and it is something that affects us all in many different ways. But what is the science behind anger? Why do we, as advanced apes, feel anger and where in our brains does it come from?
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines anger as “… an emotion characterized by antagonism toward someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong.” They go on to say, “Anger can be a good thing. It can give you a way to express negative feelings, for example, or motivate you to find solutions to problems. But excessive anger can cause problems. Increased blood pressure and other physical changes associated with anger make it difficult to think straight and harm your physical and mental health.”
Anger often manifests in our behavior as a phenomenon known as “reactive aggression.” According to Lickley and Sebastian, “Reactive aggression refers to aggressive behaviour evoked by threat, provocation or frustration.” The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) talks about reactive aggression this way: “…reactive aggression is the ultimate behavioral expression of anger and thus we can begin to understand anger by understanding reactive aggression.”
Where does anger come from in the brain? Our emotions are responses to stimuli. They don’t exist in a vacuum. Our senses recognize stimuli, and our brains produce neurotransmitters, which are chemical signals that let us feel emotions and choose our behavior. Emotions are strong, and while they should be acknowledged and respected, we should always use our judgment to determine our responses.
Processing stimuli in a way that produces anger is a complex process that involves multiple parts of the brain working together. The amygdala is a part of the brain heavily associated with emotions, especially fear, anger, and anxiety. When anger flares, the amygdala is firing. Simultaneously, the orbital frontal cortex engages, which helps us be aware of and think about what we are feeling. This part of the brain helps us make quick decisions about what we do in response to our emotions, such as whether to lash out or stay quiet.
More neural systems that engage when we feel anger are the hypothalamus and the periaqueductal gray, which helps us detect threats to our wellbeing. This triggers our fight or flight response, which directs the brain to make our adrenal glands produce stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, and testosterone, which prepare us for any physical action we decide to take. When you decide to keep yourself in check, that’s your prefrontal cortex engaging, at least long enough to help us make a decision about what to do in the situation that’s making us angry.
If you find yourself experiencing levels and/or instances of anger that seem abnormal to you or are affecting your life and relationships in a negative way, start by seeing your general physician. Be honest with them about how you’re feeling. They may feel that a metabolic panel is in order, which is a service we also offer, or other tests. Check out our page on metabolic workups here. It might be wise for you to see a therapist or a psychiatrist, which we are happy to help you with. Always advocate for yourself and tell your doctor what kind of resources you want to look into, such as referrals to services you can access in ways that are realistic for you, such as therapy that is covered by insurance.
Contact us anytime on our website or call (585) 442-6960. Everyone deserves the tools to get into a better state of mind so that they can go about their business unimpeded, with healthy relationships with others and themselves.
