ANGER - BLISS-JANE, NAUTH NNEWI

I came across the effects of anger first hand. A friend I knew lived
most of her life in anger and resentment.

It came as no surprise to us when she developed cancer and passed away
before her fiftieth birthday.

This might seem like a simple cautionary tale, but according to
medical research, the correlation between anger and illness is fast
becoming a 21st century truism.

Anger does kill. A study in the journal "Circulation" finds that those
who explode with anger are at a greater risk of strokes and sudden
death.

What are the Effects of Anger on Your Body?

Emotional stress and anger trigger the release of stress hormone
cortisol in the body. Small releases of cortisol can give the body a
quick burst of energy.

However, higher and more prolonged increases can bringinto the body a
host of negative effects.

It can create a blood sugar imbalance; it can decrease bone density,
suppress the body's immune response and make it susceptible to chronic
inflammation; it can suppress thyroid function, slowing down the
body's metabolism; it can impair the brain's thinking ability and
increase blood pressure.

According to Christina Boerma, the physiology of anger is something we
all need to be aware of. We cannot afford to ignore the effects of
anger on the body.

Anger can raise your heart rate to 180 beats a minute. It can raise
your blood pressure from 120 over 80 to 220 over 130, perhaps even
higher.

Your breathing becomes rapid as you try to get more oxygen into your body.

Your body tenses and and your muscles become tight.

When you become stressed, your mind is in survival mode and your body
releases chemicals to clot the blood, creating a potentially dangerous
situation: a clot can travel through the blood vessels the brain or
heart, resulting in a stroke or heart attack.

Anger also impedes circulation. Lack of oxygen can cause severe chest
pains. Uncontrollable anger can trigger the bursting of a brain artery
resulting in a stroke.

Tight neck and head muscles can cause tension headaches, migraines or
lead to insomnia.

Even your metabolism is at risk. Anger is blocked energy that can slow
down your body`s metabolism. Stress and anger can trigger eating
binges and weight gain.

Anger stimulates the release of acids in the stomach causing acid
reflux and gastric ulcers.

Anger can also compromise lung function.

What are the Effects of Anger and Stress on the Brain?

Anger comes from the amygdala, the reptilian part of our
brain.Resilient people are able to make rapid recoveries from stress,
with their prefrontal cortex working to calm the amygdala--which is
the remnant of our reptilian emotional brain, the brain that cannot
negotiate itself out of an emotional rut; instead it floods the body
with a cascade of cortisol or stress hormones.

The effects of anger and stress on the brain cannot be ignored.There
is evidence that chronic stress can alter brain function at the
cellular level. Researchers at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute in
Calgary have discovered that one of the effects of anger on the brain
is that neurons in the hypothalmus, the brain's command center for
stress responses can be compromised.

Normally these neurons receive different chemical signals that prompt
them to switch on or off.Stress and anger compromise these functions
and jeopardize the brain's ability to slow down.

Other studies also show that stress blocks the growth of new neurons
in the brain resulting in neuronal death or depression.Increased
stress hormones can also lead to memory impairment and learning
difficulties.

A link has also been established between emotional stress and the
transmission of uneven signals from the brain to heart.

University College London Scientist discovered that the normal
coordinates of signals for the brain to the heart can be disrupted by
anger and emotional distress. This disruption triggers abnormal heart
rhythms which account for well over 400,000 sudden deaths a year.


New studies also suggest that stress can cause neurons to shrink and
disconnect. In short, stress promotes the death of neurons, which can
explain why stress is the leading cause of depression.



Laughter Dissolves Anger and Stress

There is no doubt that laughter minimize the effects of anger and
stress on body and brain. Evidence suggests that simply anticipating
laughter releases health protecting hormones and reduces the
detrimental effects of stress hormones.In one study, researchers had
volunteers anticipate watching a humorous video. Their bodies released
stress regulating hormones simply from anticipation.

Beta-endorphin associated with the alleviation of depression increased
by 27 percent; Human growth hormone which boosts immunity increased by
a whopping 87 percent. All from the promise and anticipation of
laughter. In the control group which was not given the option of
anticipation, no such increases occurred.

A second study using the same protocol showed that anticipation
reduced the stress hormone cortisol by 39 percent, adrenaline by 70
percent and dopamine catabolite which produces adrenaline by 38
percent.

These findings strongly confirm the beneficial effects of laughter and
joy on body and brain.