ANGER
Like other emotions, anger
is experienced in our bodies as well as in our minds. In fact, there is a
complex series of physiological (body) events that occurs as we become angry.
Emotions more or less begin
inside two almond-shaped structures in our brains which are called the
amygdala. The amygdala is the part of the brain responsible for identifying
threats to our well-being, and for sending out an alarm when threats are identified
that results in us taking steps to protect ourselves. The amygdala is so
efficient at warning us about threats, that it gets us reacting before the
cortex (the part of the brain responsible for thought and judgment) is able to
check on the reasonableness of our reaction. In other words, our brains are
wired in such a way as to influence us to act before we can properly consider
the consequences of our actions. This is not an excuse for behaving badly -
people can and do control their aggressive impulses and you can too with some
practice. Instead, it means that learning to manage anger properly is a skill
that has to be learned, instead of something we are born knowing how to do
instinctually.
As you become angry your
body's muscles tense up. Inside your brain, neurotransmitter chemicals known as
catecholamines are released causing you to experience a burst of energy lasting
up to several minutes. This burst of energy is behind the common angry desire
to take immediate protective action. At the same time your heart rate
accelerates, your blood pressure rises, and your rate of breathing increases.
Your face may flush as increased blood flow enters your limbs and extremities
in preparation for physical action. Your attention narrows and becomes locked
onto the target of your anger. Soon you can pay attention to nothing else. In
quick succession, additional brain neurotransmitters and hormones (among them
adrenaline and noradrenaline) are released which trigger a lasting state of
arousal. You're now ready to fight.
Although it is possible for
your emotions to rage out of control, the prefrontal cortex of your brain,
which is located just behind your forehead, can keep your emotions in
proportion. If the amygdala handles emotion, the prefrontal cortex handles
judgment. The left prefrontal cortex can switch off your emotions. It serves in
an executive role to keep things under control. Getting control over your anger
means learning ways to help your prefrontal cortex get the upper hand over your
amygdala so that you have control over how you react to anger feelings. Among
the many ways to make this happen are relaxation techniques (which reduce your
arousal and decrease your amygdala activity) and the use of cognitive control
techniques which help you practice using your judgment to override your
emotional reactions.
If anger has a
physiological preparation phase during which our resources are mobilized for a
fight, it also has a wind-down phase as well. We start to relax back towards
our resting state when the target of our anger is no longer accessible or an
immediate threat. It is difficult to relax from an angry state, however. The
adrenaline-caused arousal that occurs during anger lasts a very long time (many
hours, sometimes days), and lowers our anger threshold, making it easier for us
to get angry again later on. Though we do calm down, it takes a very long time
for us to return to our resting state. During this slow cool-down period we are
more likely to get very angry in response to minor irritations that normally
would not bother us.
The same lingering arousal that keeps us primed for more anger also can
interfere with our ability to clearly remember details of our angry outburst.
Arousal is vital for efficient remembering. As any student knows, it is
difficult to learn new material while sleepy. Moderate arousal levels help the
brain to learn and enhance memory, concentration, and performance. There is an
optimum level of arousal that benefits memory, however, and when arousal
exceeds that optimum level, it makes it more difficult for new memories to be
formed. High levels of arousal (such as are present when we are angry)
significantly decrease your ability to concentrate.
feel free to coment.............................!!!!!!!
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interesting and educative, i have never though of my anger like this
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