importance of anger management essay

Why Controlling Your Anger is Important

Although there are moments in life that may test your steeliest resolve and seem to render you helpless against internal frustration, finding ways to keep angry outbursts under control is crucial to living a well-balanced life. The key to successful anger management is to quickly and accurately identify the root cause of your anger so that you can find an appropriate and effective solution to manage it.

While it’s true that venting your anger can be cathartic, setting boundaries for just how far your rant will go can make all the difference between your angry feelings being purged satisfactorily or your rage being escalated further. Anger is an adopted behavior that takes on many forms including verbal, physical, and emotional outbursts. It can have extremely stressful effects on your life as well as the lives of those around you. Some effects of anger include:

• Marital and family problems
• Poor work performance
• Feeling negative and uneasy
• Lack of energy
• Restless sleep
• Lack of appetite or too much of an appetite
• Tendency to gossip
• The possibility of losing family and friends
• Numerous health problems such as ulcers, strokes, weight loss or weight gain, heart attacks, and gastrointestinal disorders

Causes of Anger

The best way to start identifying the root causes of your anger is to recognize your most common stress triggers . Once you know the cause of your anger, you can better gain control of it. It may be surprising to hear, but self-knowledge and acceptance are often the hardest parts of anger management for some people to reconcile. If you've spent years in a cycle of hostility, your stress level may be on such a constant high that you don’t realize what specific occurrences have a tendency to set your rage off. For everything that upsets you, your anxiety level increases, and before it can go down, something else makes you angry. This vicious cycle can be stopped by directly confronting and diffusing the origin of your anger.

There are many factors to take into account when looking for the origins of your anger, including, for example:

• Harassment or bullying by friends, family, co-workers, or strangers
• Hurt from a failed relationship or job loss
• Physical threats from strangers, acquaintances, or close friends
• Disappointment from failing to complete a task
• Frustration at others around you, whether it be at home or in the workplace
• Annoyance due to environmental stressors

Simple Ways to Control Anger

Controlling your anger can be done in several ways. If one approach doesn't work, there are always other anger management techniques you can try. Keep in mind, however, that you must give your actions enough time to take full effect. The goal is to not give up until you find the solution that works best for you.

A very effective way to control hostility or anger is through a combination of muscle relaxation and controlled deep breathing. Your heart and breathing rates increase when you are angry or anxious, therefore, you can deliberately lower them, and consequently your anger, by practicing relaxation techniques. To achieve these lower heart and breathing rates you can:

• Perform yoga
• Receive a massage
• Listen to music
• Practice hypnosis
• Practice imagery or visualization
• Use guided programs, either through music, relaxation ponds , or relaxation clinics
• Simply find a way to spend quiet time relaxing at home or wherever you feel most comfortable

Another way to manage your anger is through humor. As the saying goes, “laughter is the best medicine”, and through the use of jokes or by simply laughing out loud, you can release a tremendous amount of stress without causing harm to yourself or others. Besides helping you get a balanced perspective on the situation that has caused your anger, you can also learn not to take yourself so seriously. Ways to incorporate humor into your life include:

• Watching or reading cartoons
• Telling jokes
• Writing humorous poems or jokes
• Visualizing the person you are mad at in a silly situation

When you feel your anxiety rise, write down exactly what you were doing and your feelings associated with it. Write down how you feel physically as well because the physical response to stress can happen before you feel it emotionally. After a few days, go back and read about what made you angry:

• On a fresh piece of paper, write down every anger episode, and then write down the reason why you became upset. Don't just think about the incident but what happened before it as well. Your reaction to an event often has a lot to do with what happened directly leading up to it.
• You also want to consider common anger themes. You may start to notice that when a certain person comes around you, you have a hard time dealing with situations. Reflect on these themes and consider their effect on your mood and emotions.
• Try to pinpoint the physiological responses you had to each episode. You may have felt your heart racing, sweating, or your face turning red. Knowing your physical responses to anger will help you anticipate the oncoming rage and then take action to control it.

Other Methods

More ways to manage your anger include:

• Listening to music
• Taking a relaxing bath
• Talking to a friend
• Understanding no one is perfect
• Drinking a tall glass of water

If All Else Fails

If taking the proper steps to handle your anger doesn't work and you feel that you really are out of control, then you need to seek counseling. A professional can use different types of therapy and medication to help you manage your anger.

Tools to Manage Anger

For some information on ways to control anger, check out these LoveToKnow Stress Management articles:

• Anger Management Worksheets
• Anger Management Tips
• Ten Tips for Anger Management
• Anger Management Seminars
• Anger Management Techniques

*Photo by  Gabriel Matula  on  Unsplash

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Managing Anger: Tips, Techniques, and Tools

3 skills that can help people learn to better control their anger..

Posted April 21, 2021 | Reviewed by Chloe Williams

• How Can I Manage My Anger?
• Find a therapist to heal from anger
• Anger is a strong negative emotion that prepares us to fight or confront our enemies.
• Although it's normal to feel angry at times, over-expressing anger or suppressing it can be detrimental to relationships and health.
• Some tips for managing anger include journaling to better understand what causes anger, reframing angry thoughts and practicing being assertive.

What Is Anger?

Anger is a strong negative emotion that arises as a result of what we perceive to be a threat or unfair treatment that blocks our goals. This had led some psychologists to propose that anger is simply our response when our "approach motivation "—or pursuit of good things—is blocked (Carver & Harmon-Jones, 2009). Anger is usually directed at others, includes increased physiological activation, and involves changes in our thought processes.

Although anger is considered to be a negative emotion , historical records suggest that it is normal to get at least mildly angry a few times per day to a few times per week (Berkowitz & Harmon-Jones, 2004). That leaves us with a lot of anger floating around. So how do we manage it?

The Importance of Managing Anger

Many negative emotions—emotions like sadness, shame , or fear —make us want to run and hide. But not anger. Anger makes us want to approach—to fight or confront our enemies. That makes anger a unique negative emotion. It's important that we manage it so that we don't over-express our anger, but we also have to be careful not to suppress our anger, as that can be bad for us too. Anger appears to be most beneficial when managed and expressed in a controlled, positive manner.

Anger emotions to manage might include:

• Frustration

​Each of these emotions is thought to be closely related to anger and we may tend towards expressing some of these emotions more than others.

Managing Anger Out

When we think of a cartoon character with a bright red face and steam shooting out of his ears, we are thinking of "anger out." This type of anger is expressed outwardly. Anger out can lead to challenges in personal relationships and at work. Who wants to be around someone who is yelling and irritable all the time? Anger management may be needed when anger is too frequent, too intense, too prolonged, or managed ineffectively.

Managing Anger In

When we think about managing anger, we don't usually think about the people who suppress anger. Even if they are fuming from being poked, prodded, and tormented, they don't respond with anger. Anger suppression, or "anger in," can also have negative consequences. "Anger in" is related to increased hypertension while anger out is not (Hosseini et al., 2011).

What Triggers Anger?

Research suggests that an attitude of hostility, resentment, and suspiciousness may be related to increased anger (Fives, Kong, Fuller, & DiGiuseppe, 2011). Two other cognitions that lead to anger include awfulizing—or imagining a situation to be as bad as it can possibly be—and low frustration tolerance (Martin & Dahlen, 2004).

Another study among women found that anger was most often triggered by violations of personal values, feelings of powerlessness, and disrespectful treatment. The researchers suggested that women often feel anger when they want something to change, but are unable to make it so or even get people to listen to them. But in this study, women were able to regain a sense of power when using anger to restore justice, respect, and relationship reciprocity (Thomas, Smucker, & Droppleman, 1998).

Anger Management Training

Anger management is generally taught in the classroom. The goal is to share information, provide new perspectives, and help people practice anger management strategies. This approach provides the backdrop to help people empathize, provide feedback, and role-play conflicts.

To manage anger, we likely each benefit from different strategies. For example, those who express their anger too much may need to develop cognitive skills for reframing their experiences and regulating their emotions . On the flip side, those who suppress their anger may need to learn how to communicate their anger more directly.

Techniques for Managing Anger

1. Keep an anger journal: Journaling may help you better understand where your anger comes from and the thought processes that spiral it out of control. So, in your journal, try to explore what it is exactly that is triggering your anger. What thoughts are you having? What emotions are you having? What could you do to resolve your anger?

2. Manage angry thoughts: Try reframing your anger in ways that help you change the things that are bothering you.

3. Speak up for yourself: Practice being assertive , negotiating for yourself, and setting boundaries to reduce feelings of powerlessness.

Anger can be an intense emotion, but it can also be managed. Hopefully, these insights and tips will help you move in the right direction.

Adapted from an article published by The Berkeley Well-Being Institute .

Berkowitz, L., & Harmon-Jones, E. (2004). Toward an understanding of the determinants of anger. Emotion, 4(2), 107.

Carver, C. S., & Harmon-Jones, E. (2009). Anger is an approach-related affect: evidence and implications. Psychological bulletin, 135(2), 183.

​Fives, C. J., Kong, G., Fuller, J. R., & DiGiuseppe, R. (2011). Anger, aggression, and irrational beliefs in adolescents. Cognitive therapy and research, 35(3), 199-208.

​Martin, R. C., & Dahlen, E. R. (2004). Irrational beliefs and the experience and expression of anger. Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 22(1), 3-20.

Hosseini, S. H., Mokhberi, V., Mohammadpour, R. A., Mehrabianfard, M., & Lashak, N. B. (2011). Anger expression and suppression among patients with essential hypertension. International journal of psychiatry in clinical practice, 15(3), 214-218.

Thomas, S., Smucker, C., & Droppleman, P. (1998). It hurts most around the heart: A phenomenological exploration of women’s anger. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 28(2), 311-322

Tchiki Davis, Ph.D. , is a consultant, writer, and expert on well-being technology.

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How to Manage Your Anger at Work

• Liz Fosslien
• Mollie West Duffy

Spoiler: Venting isn’t the best option.

We’re all a little angrier these days. The sustained level of stress and fear you experience every day when you’re under pressure depletes your emotional resources, making you much more likely to get mad, even at minor provocations. While we’re often told that anger is harmful, irrational, and should be suppressed, there are ways to channel it productively. Research shows that getting mad can spark creativity, motivate you to advocate for yourself, and help you perform better in competitive circumstances. The authors offer six strategies to use anger in more positive ways, including acknowledging that a violation took place, identifying the specific needs behind your emotion, and avoiding excessive venting.

After two years of navigating a global pandemic, tensions are high. While conducting research for our book Big Feelings , we heard from readers who told us that they’d recently lost their cool over all kinds of seemingly small triggers: inconsistent WiFi, an email from their boss that just read “?,” or a coworker pinging them at 4:45 pm asking for a “quick favor.”

• Liz Fosslien is the coauthor and illustrator of the WSJ bestseller No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotion at Work  and Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay . She is on the leadership team of Atlassian’s Team Anywhere, where she helps distributed teams advance how they collaborate. Liz regularly leads workshops for leaders; her clients include Google, Paramount, and the U.S. Air Force. Liz’s writing and work have been featured by TED, The Economist, Good Morning America, the New York Times, and NPR. lizandmollie
• Mollie West Duffy is the coauthor of the WSJ bestseller No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotion at Work and Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay . She is the head of learning and development at Lattice, and was an organizational design lead at global innovation firm IDEO. She has worked with companies of all sizes on organizational development, leadership development, and workplace culture. lizandmollie

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11 Anger Management Strategies to Help You Calm Down

Managing anger can help your body and brain respond to stress in healthy ways

Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

Akeem Marsh, MD, is a board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist who has dedicated his career to working with medically underserved communities.

Take the Anger Test

• How to Manage Anger

Why Manage Anger?

Getting help.

Failing to manage your anger can lead to a variety of problems like saying things you regret, yelling at your kids, threatening your co-workers, sending rash emails, developing health problems, or even resorting to physical violence. But not all anger issues are that serious. Instead, your anger might involve wasting time thinking about upsetting events, getting frustrated in traffic, or venting about work.

Managing anger doesn't mean never getting angry. Instead, it involves learning how to recognize, cope with, and express your anger in healthy and productive ways. Anger management is a skill that everyone can learn. Even if you think you have your anger under control, there’s always room for improvement.

While anger itself isn't a mental illness, in some cases, anger can be connected to mood disorders, substance use disorders, and other mental health conditions.

Since unchecked anger can often lead to aggressive behavior, anger management uses various techniques to help a person cope with thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a healthy and more productive way.

So, you may be wondering, How do I become less angry? While change may not happen overnight, there are plenty of strategies you can use to cope with your anger.

Verywell / Cindy Chung

This short, free 21-item test measures a variety of symptoms and feelings associated with  anger , such as anger about the present and future, anger towards the self, and hostile feelings toward others.

This anger quiz was medically reviewed by Rachel Goldman, PhD, FTOS.

Anger Management Strategies

Research consistently shows that cognitive behavioral interventions are effective for managing anger. These interventions involve changing the way you think and behave. They are based on the notion that your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all connected. (Cognitive behavioral interventions are also taught in anger management therapy.)

Your thoughts and behaviors can either fuel your emotions or they can reduce them. So, if you want to shift your emotional state away from anger, you can change what you’re thinking and what you’re doing. Without fuel, the fire inside you will begin to dwindle and you'll feel calmer.

The best method for managing anger is to create an anger management control plan. Then, you'll know what to do when you start feeling upset.

The following are 11 strategies to manage anger and to include in your anger management control plan.

Identify Triggers

If you’ve gotten into the habit of losing your temper, take stock of the things that trigger your anger. Long lines, traffic jams, snarky comments, or excessive tiredness are just a few things that might shorten your fuse.

While you shouldn't blame people or external circumstances for your inability to keep your cool, understanding the things that trigger your anger can help you plan accordingly.

You might decide to structure your day differently to help you manage your stress better. Or, you might practice some anger management techniques before you encounter circumstances that you usually find distressing. Doing these things can help you lengthen your fuse—meaning that a single frustrating episode won’t set you off.

Consider Whether Your Anger Is Helpful or Unhelpful

Before you spring into action to calm yourself down, ask yourself if your anger is a friend or an enemy. If you’re witnessing someone’s rights being violated or you are in an unhealthy situation, your anger might be helpful.

In these cases, you might proceed by changing the situation rather than changing your emotional state. Sometimes, your anger is a warning sign that something else needs to change—like an emotionally abusive relationship or a toxic friendship.

Being angry might give you the courage you need to take a stand or make a change.

If, however, your anger is causing distress or hurting your relationships, your anger may be an enemy. Other signs of this type of anger include feeling out of control and regretting your words or actions later. In these situations, it makes sense to work on tackling your emotions and calming yourself down.

Recognize Your Warning Signs

If you're like some people, you may feel like your anger hits you in an instant. Perhaps you go from calm to furious in a heartbeat. But there are still likely warning signs when your anger is on the rise. Recognizing them early can help you take action to prevent your anger from reaching a boiling point.

Think about the physical warning signs of anger that you experience. Perhaps your heart beats faster or your face feels hot. Or, maybe you begin to clench your fists. You also might notice some cognitive changes. Perhaps your mind races or you begin “seeing red.”

By recognizing your warning signs, you have the opportunity to take immediate action and prevent yourself from doing or saying things that create bigger problems. Learn to pay attention to how you're feeling and you'll get better at recognizing the warning signs.

Step Away From the Triggering Situation

Trying to win an argument or sticking it out in an unhealthy situation will only fuel your anger. One of the best anger management exercises is to remove yourself from the situation if you can.

How to Control Anger Immediately

Walking away from a triggering situation can be an excellent way to take control of your anger. When a conversation gets heated, take a break. Leave a meeting if you think you’re going to explode. Go for a walk if your kids upset you. A time-out can be key to helping you calm your brain and your body.

If there’s someone that you routinely get into heated disputes with, like a friend or family member, talk with them about the importance of taking a time-out and resuming when you're both feeling calm.

When you need to step away, explain that you aren’t trying to dodge difficult subjects, but that you’re working on managing your anger. You aren't able to have a productive conversation or resolve conflict when you’re feeling really upset. You can rejoin the discussion or address the issue again when you're feeling calmer.

Sometimes it helps to set a specific time and place when you can discuss the issue again. Doing so gives your friend, colleague, or family member a sense of peace that the issue will indeed be discussed—just at a later time.

Talk Through Your Feelings

If there’s someone who has a calming effect on you, talking through an issue or expressing your feelings to that person may be helpful. It’s important to note, however, that venting can backfire.

Complaining about your boss , describing all the reasons you don’t like someone, or grumbling about all of your perceived injustices may add fuel to the fire. A common misconception is that you have to vent your anger to feel better.

But studies show you don’t need to “get your anger out.”   Smashing things when you’re upset, for example, may actually make you angrier. So it’s important to use this coping skill with caution.

Likewise, if you’re going to talk to a friend, make sure you’re working on developing a solution or reducing your anger, not just venting. It's unfair to use them as your go-to sounding board. Instead, you might find that the best way to use this strategy is to talk about something other than the situation causing you to feel angry.

Get in a Quick Workout

Anger gives you a rush of energy. One of the best anger management exercises is quite literally to exercise and engage in physical activity. Whether you go for a brisk walk or hit the gym, working out can burn off extra tension.

Regular exercise also helps you decompress. Aerobic activity reduces stress, which might help improve your frustration tolerance. Additionally, exercise allows you to clear your mind . You may find that after a long run or a hard workout you have a clearer perspective on what was troubling you.

Focus on the Facts

Angry thoughts add fuel to your anger. Thinking things like, “I can’t stand it. This traffic jam is going to ruin everything,” will increase your frustration. When you find yourself thinking about things that fuel your anger, reframe your thoughts.

Instead, think about the facts by saying something like, “There are millions of cars on the road every day. Sometimes, there will be traffic jams.” Focusing on the facts—without adding in catastrophic predictions or distorted exaggerations—can help you stay calmer.  

You also might develop a mantra that you can repeat to drown out the thoughts that fuel your anger. Saying, "I'm OK. Stay calm," or "Not helpful," over and over again can help you minimize or reduce angry thoughts.

Distract Yourself With a New Activity

Ruminating about an upsetting situation fuels angry feelings. If, for example, you’ve had a bad day at work, rehashing everything that went wrong all evening will keep you stuck in a state of frustration.

The best way to calm down quickly might be to change the channel in your brain and focus on something else altogether.

Telling yourself “Don’t think about that,” isn’t always successful. The best way to mentally shift gears is to distract yourself with an activity. Do something that requires your focus and makes it more challenging for angry or negative thoughts to creep in.

Some examples might include deep-cleaning the kitchen, weeding the garden, paying some bills, or playing with the kids. Find something to do that will keep your mind occupied enough that you won’t ruminate on the things upsetting you . Then, your body and your brain can calm down.

Breathe and Relax

There are many different anger management exercises that involve relaxation. The key is to find the one that works best for you. Breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation are two common strategies for reducing tension.

The best part is, both exercises can be performed quickly and discreetly. So whether you’re frustrated at work or you’re angry at a dinner engagement, you can let go of stress quickly and immediately.

It’s important to note, however, that relaxation exercises take practice. At first, you might not feel as though they’re effective, or you might question whether they’re going to work for you. But with practice, they can become your go-to strategies for anger management.

Acknowledge Your Underlying Emotion

Sometimes it helps to take a moment and think about what emotions might be lurking beneath your anger. Anger often serves as a protective mask to help you avoid feeling more painful emotions, like embarrassment, sadness, and disappointment.

When someone gives you feedback that’s hard to hear, for example, you might lash out in anger because you’re embarrassed. Convincing yourself the other person is bad for criticizing you might make you feel better in the moment because it keeps your embarrassment at bay. But acknowledging underlying emotions can help you get to the root of the problem. Then, you can decide to take appropriate action.

For instance, if someone cancels plans on you and your underlying emotion is disappointment, you could try explaining how the cancellation makes you feel rather than lashing out in anger. When you're honest about your feelings, you're more likely to resolve the issue. Responding in anger usually doesn't accomplish anything except pushing people away.

Avoid Suppressing Your Anger

Getting to the underlying cause of your anger is much more effective than suppressing your anger. Though it can be tempting to try to minimize an undesirable emotion, you are likely to cause even more stress by denying your anger altogether.

Create a "Calm-Down" Kit

If you tend to come home from work stressed and take out your anger on your family, or you know that workplace meetings cause you a lot of frustration, create a calm-down kit that you can use to relax.

Think about objects that help engage all your senses. When you can look, hear, see, smell, and touch calming things, you can change your emotional state. So a calm-down kit might include scented hand lotion, a picture of a serene landscape, a spiritual passage you can read aloud, and a few pieces of your favorite candy. Include things that you know will help you remain calm.

You also might create a virtual calm-down kit that you can take everywhere. These are things that you can call upon when needed and are more portable. For instance, calming music and images, guided meditation , or instructions for breathing exercises could be stored in a special folder on your smartphone.

Get Advice From The Verywell Mind Podcast

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares some techniques that can help you relax.

Follow Now : Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts

Anger is an emotion that can range from mild irritation to intense rage. While many people categorize anger as a solely “negative emotion,” it can be positive. Angry feelings may spur you to stand up for someone or they may lead you to create social change.

But when left unchecked, angry feelings can lead to aggressive behavior , like yelling at someone or damaging property. Angry feelings also may cause you to withdraw from the world and turn your anger inward, which can impact your health and well-being .

Anger becomes problematic when it's felt too often or too intensely or when it's expressed in unhealthy ways, which can take a toll physically, mentally, and socially. For this reason, anger management strategies can be beneficial and can help you discover healthy ways to express your feelings.

Why Do I Get Angry So Easily?

There are underlying reasons for our anger; if you get angry easily, it could be the result of something else you're experiencing such as fear, panic, stress, financial struggles, relationship problems, and/or coping with trauma. As mentioned, mood disorders may cause anger, as well as hormonal imbalances.

If anger has been causing problems in your life and you’re struggling to tame your temper on your own, you might want to seek professional help. Some mental health problems can be linked to anger management issues.

For example, PTSD has been linked to aggressive outbursts. Depressive disorders also can cause irritability and may make it more difficult to manage anger. It's important to uncover any mental health issues that could hinder your ability to manage anger.

Start by talking to a physician about your mood and your behavior. A physician will make sure you don’t have any physical health issues that are contributing to the problem.

A doctor may refer you to a mental health professional for further evaluation. Depending on your goals and treatment needs, you may attend anger management therapy, during which you'll learn additional anger management therapy techniques and how to implement them in your daily life—especially when you're feeling triggered.

You also can contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database .

A Word From Verywell

While aggressive behavior may get your needs met in the short term, there are long-term consequences. Your words might cause lasting damage to your relationships or even end them altogether. By lashing out, you're also causing yourself additional stress, which can have a negative impact on your overall health.

If you’ve been using your anger as a tool, you may benefit from learning healthier strategies, such as asking for help or speaking up in an assertive, but not aggressive, manner. Talk to your doctor about your anger management issues if you need more assistance.

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By Amy Morin, LCSW Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Workbooks for Anger Management Essay

Introduction, cognitive behavioral therapy, self-help books and workbooks for anger management, workbook’s analysis.

It goes without saying that anger may be regarded as a normal reaction in response to pain, frustration, tiredness, ignorance, annoyance, critique, and being overwhelmed with daily struggles. However, when anger becomes enduring, intense, and frequent while reasons are not significant, it requires particular attention and a qualified response. Anger refers not only to emotional outbursts but to aggressiveness and intimidation as well. Excessive and uncontrolled anger leads to multiple negative consequences, including relationship problems, problems with employment and the law, health disorders, and more severe mental health issues. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) remains one of the most efficient methods of anger management. At the same time, self-help books and workbooks become efficient assessment and treatment tools, especially for people whose healthcare accessibility is limited. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine CBT treatment in relation to anger, investigate the efficiency of its practices, and review a workbook dedicated to anger management in order to evaluate its potential to substitute traditional therapy.

In general, CBT is defined as solution-oriented psychotherapy that helps a patient identify his problem expressed in negative feelings or thoughts and assess its scope in order to challenge and replace these manifestations with more positive and rational ones. It is traditionally applied as an efficient solution for people with depression, stress, addiction, anxiety, and anger issues as it focuses on the development of practical skills that allow individuals to feel better. All in all, CBT is based on the following principles:

• Unhealthy and inappropriate ways of thinking are the main reason for psychological issues;
• Unacceptable behavior that causes a psychological problem derives from learned patterns;
• It is possible to minimize the manifestations of a psychological issue through coping strategies for more rational thinking.

CBT has two major aspects which include functional analysis and skills training. In other words, a patient learns to look at feelings and thoughts that lead to a particular inappropriate behavior and gains new coping skills. Meanwhile, a therapist plays an important role in CBT by controlling sessions, providing guidance, and giving direct advice. In addition, as treatment presupposes the assignment of homework, a specialist will review it and provide quality feedback for better understanding and consistent practice.

In relation to anger, CBT-related assessments and treatment fully fit the intervention model for this condition. Thus, CBT presupposes a wide range of exercises and questions that help a patient define triggers that lead to outbursts and their root causes. On their basis, a therapist provides various techniques and strategies for efficient anger management and emotion control, such as relaxation, deep breathing, and rational problem-solving. In general, for people who suffer from intense and enduring anger, CBT treatment implies the following steps:

• The determination of a problem’s root causes. First of all, a patient should identify major situations and conditions that cause anger in order to make a smarter decision concerning a solution.
• Strengthening of awareness and understanding. Self-awareness is highly essential for anger management as it helps realize the importance of this psychological issue.
• The determination of negative thoughts. In collaboration with a patient, a therapist defines negative and inaccurate thoughts that lead to inappropriate behavioral patterns.
• The change of negative thoughts. This step presupposes the development of positive thinking and the reframing of memories through various techniques to establish positive behavior. In addition, CBT treatment refers to the replacement of unhealthy and aggressive communication with assertive and peaceful one. Although anger remains a natural emotion, it is necessary to use adaptive ways of communication to avoid crossing acceptable boundaries.

It goes without saying that there are multiple techniques that may be used by a therapist, including personalized ones, and it is impossible to apply all of them. However, several methods used in CBT may be regarded as the most common and effective. The first one implies the enhancement of personal awareness as the expression of anger does not presuppose the understanding of its clear sense. In this case, a specialist should perceive and explain to a patient the nature, causes, and consequences of his anger. Role-playing, detailed discussions, and self-monitoring are usually used to raise patient awareness.

Another strategy of CBT is the development of relaxation coping skills. As anger is traditionally associated with increased physical and emotional excitement, relaxation skills help an individual remain calm and reduce the negative consequences of outbursts. The acquisition of these skills is connected with the understanding of anger triggers for its lowering through slow deep breathing, focusing on the reduction of muscle tension, the repetition of calming words, and meditation. All techniques should be initially practiced during sessions to relax quickly in real-life situations.

Successful anger management presupposes the disruption of it by removal or avoidance and the replacement of anger-producing thoughts with reasonable thinking as well. In combination with relaxation coping skills, these techniques allow an individual to leave an anger-related situation. Negotiation with other people, alternative ways of response, and distracting non-angry activities contribute to the minimization of anger manifestations. At the same time, in particular situations, humor may assist in the elimination of negative thinking that leads to anger. Moreover, the understanding that other people can make mistakes and that some situations are inevitable helps disrupt stress caused by events or other people’s actions. Finally, CBT helps an individual to enhance his skills for efficient negotiation and interpersonal communication to avoid stress, conflicts, and, as a result, the expression of anger. Thus, skill training will contribute to efficient interaction in a direct, problem-solving, and calm manner.

In the present day, regardless of expressed skepticism and insufficient research in relation to their scientific status, self-help books and workbooks for the management of various psychological disorders are extremely popular. A considerable number of people use bibliotherapy as a self-administered and self-prescribed treatment and “a very cost-effective substitute for professionally delivered therapy” (Redding et al., 2008, p. 537). At the same time, workbooks are frequently provided by therapists as patients’ homework for more appropriate outcomes of CBT.

In general, it is possible to mention the efficiency of bibliotherapy for the management of anger and other mental health disorders. Multiple meta-analyses support the notion that the effect of self-help books is similar to the outcomes of traditional therapy (Redding et al., 2008). Bibliotherapy is more effective than placebo, antidepressants, and waiting lists (Redding et al., 2008). All in all, the general advantages of the use of workbooks for patients with psychological problems include bibliotherapy’s accessibility for large numbers of individuals, cost-efficiency, autonomy, and preventive and educative functions.

A workbook under analysis is The Anger Control Workbook written by McKay and Rogers which focuses on a particular subject – anger management. In general, this book may be regarded as an appropriate substitution for a traditional CBT treatment, especially for people who do not have an opportunity to visit a therapist. It contains all aspects of traditional therapy, such as the identification of a psychological issue, its root causes, negative thoughts and triggers that lead to emotional outbursts and aggression, and multiple applicable techniques for anger control.

The book is characterized by a compassionate approach, comprehensive narration, and scientific evidence for its content’s support. In other words, it addresses readers in a personal manner that resembles a competent therapist’s words. For instance, the authors state that when a patient suffers from intense anger forgetting all his resolutions to stay calm, he does not become a bad person (McKay & Rogers, 2000). Instead, he is full of pain, and anger is a way to overcome it. However, anger is a temporary solution that, in turn, leads to highly negative consequences for a person’s physical and mental health and relationships with others.

At the same time, the book is full of real-life examples that make its material more comprehensive. For instance, there are multiple examples that allow readers to understand the nature of anger, its causes, and its impacts. However, all aspects of bibliotherapy presented in the book are supported by evidence received as the result of multiple studies and research (McKay & Rogers, 2000). All in all, all factors of anger and coping techniques are consistent with psychological theory and research.

In general, The Anger Control Workbook is a helpful and accessible tool for anger self-management. It provides harmful, accurate, and specific guidance for readers to self-diagnose, apply coping techniques, and measure their progress in the long-term perspective. In addition, it contributes to a reader’s understanding of his anger-related issue to the fullest extent – thus, it describes not only the negative but positive consequences of stress as well to help an individual realize why it is expressed (McKay & Rogers, 2000). It goes without saying that coping techniques are thoroughly described, and templates for individual completion are presented. Moreover, in contrast with multiple workbooks, The Anger Control Workbook explains when and why self-help may be limited.

At the same time, there are several disadvantages connected both with an actual book and bibliotherapy in general. First of all, there is a slight inconsistency in the workbook – for instance, anger inoculation and coping techniques are intermixed. In turn, it would be reasonable to place the assessment of anger in one part of the book and anger management in another. In addition, the book addressed a common classical therapy that does not presuppose paying attention to patients’ cultural peculiarities. In this case, bibliotherapy cannot substitute for a culturally competent therapist. Moreover, not all people perceive knowledge efficiently without quality feedback which is not presupposed in workbooks. In this case, this format is insensitive to patients’ individual needs.

To conclude, CBT may be regarded as a highly efficient intervention for anger management. It helps a patient access his psychological issue and address it in the most appropriate way. In turn, self-help books and workbooks may substitute traditional therapy as they contain its aspects. However, on the basis of a workbook’s review, it is possible to state that bibliography leads to the most appropriate outcomes in combination with CBT as not all people may learn without a therapist, especially a culturally competent one, who will guide the progress and provide feedback.

McKay, M., & Rogers, P. D. (2000). The anger control workbook . New Harbinger Publications.

Redding, R. E., Herbert, J. D., Forman, E. M., & Gaudiano, B. A. (2008). Popular self-help books for anxiety, depression, and trauma: How scientifically grounded and useful are they? Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39 (5), 537-545.

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IvyPanda. (2023, September 26). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Workbooks for Anger Management. https://ivypanda.com/essays/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-and-workbooks-for-anger-management/

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Bibliography

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Anger Management: Causes of Anger and How to Manage

Sonia was a process manager at a reputed multinational company. She was an expert in her field and had extensive…

Sonia was a process manager at a reputed multinational company. She was an expert in her field and had extensive experience but wasn’t seen as a good leader.

Her team members thought she was unreasonable and arrogant. She would lose her temper frequently. Sonia saw her team members as obstinate, incompetent, and uncooperative.

It wasn’t a happy relationship and eventually, their relations soured almost beyond repair. Her teammates stopped approaching her for any discussions, which annoyed Sonia considerably.

What both Sonia and her teammates didn’t realize was that she had anger issues that overshadowed her capability. Had she focused on managing her anger, things would not have come to such a pass.

What is Anger Management?

Before understanding what anger management is, let’s discuss the emotion of anger.

Did you know that anger is a normal and perfectly healthy emotion? It conveys to our mind that all is not well with things or people around us. You are likely to experience anger when you are upset, or feel cheated or threatened.

Imagine you are driving on a highway—you have your seat belt on and are driving within the speed limit. Suddenly, a huge truck, driving at high speed, swerves into your lane. Somehow, your driving skills and good fortune help you escape an accident.

Once you stop on the side, how do you feel?

Enraged, right?

That’s not surprising. You would, quite understandably, feel angry as you could have got hurt without any fault of yours.

Getting angry when you have been wrongly treated or threatened is absolutely normal. However, anger can become an issue if it manifests itself in outbursts that could hurt you or those around you.

In such situations, anger management can be very useful.

For instance, you might experience anger when, after spending an hour filling your cart at the supermarket and another hour in the check-out queue, you finally reach the payment counter and discover that your card is not working.

Already tired and irritated, you may become so angry that you get into a confrontation with the store staff. Eventually, you are forced out of the store, without the items that you came to buy.

Dejected, tired, and embarrassed, you drive out of the parking lot when you suddenly realize that you could have used another card. The situation wouldn’t have gone out of hand and caused you and those around you such inconvenience.

However, you let your anger overwhelm you and it affected your judgment and actions.

When Anger Becomes A Problem

Anger is a natural reaction to adverse situations.

At the workplace, it could be anger against a colleague who is not a team player, a subordinate who doesn’t carry out instructions, or a boss who doesn’t respect you or your efforts.

At school, it could be anger against a bully who targets you without any reason or a teacher who gives harsh punishment. Whenever you let anger spiral out of control, it can have several negative outcomes and damage the following:

Physical well-being: 

Constant or frequent outbursts can cause stress and lead to conditions such as heart diseases, diabetes, weakened immunity, lack of sleep, and high blood pressure.

Mental well-being:  

Anger is a strong emotion and it can overpower your reasoning abilities. Anger issues can make you feel agitated, stressed, depressed, and incapable of focusing on work or enjoying life.

Angry outbursts can affect teamwork and the ability to receive or give constructive and fair criticism, which can create a negative image of you among your colleagues, superiors, and clients.

Personal relationships:

Relationships are delicate. A bout of uncontrollable anger can destroy even the most important relationships that you may have spent years nurturing. You might hit or abuse someone in anger, and the other person might get offended beyond reconciliation.

Understanding Harmful Anger

The way you behave with people around you when you are angry determines how you are perceived by them.

There are clear signs that indicate when anger becomes a problem. The most prevalent signs of harmful anger include:

Verbal and physical violence:

If you express your anger by screaming, hurling abuses, issuing verbal threats to people, physically assaulting another person, destroying objects, and throwing things around, then it is a sign of harmful anger.

Internal anger:

There are instances when people internalize their anger and turn it into hatred. This kind of negativity can result in an utter dislike for one’s self. Such behavior can result in isolation from friends and family. In extreme cases, it can result in self-harm and even suicide.

Passive anger:

Anger is not just about getting into a street-style brawl with people. Passive anger might appear less harmful, but it can have a very negative impact on your relationships.

People with passive aggression problems might deliberately underperform, ignore others, and avoid communication with their friends and family.

How Anger Management Helps

It is widely perceived that anger management is the technique of suppressing anger. As stated above, anger is a normal emotional response, and giving up anger completely is not ideal for your health.

If you don’t express anger, it might get internalized and come out in another form. Therefore, anger management is not about suppressing it, but learning how to prevent destructive outbursts.

By managing anger, you can express it in a constructive and identifiable manner while being in control of the situation. This will not only have a better emotional impact on you but can also help others understand you better. As a result, your conflicts will have a better chance of a positive resolution and you will become better at nurturing relationships.

Things That Can Help You Understand And Manage Anger

1. identify the causes of your anger:  .

At times, you might get angry over trivial issues. Once your anger cools off, you realize that the reason behind your anger was minor.

In such scenarios, you need to introspect why you get angry. Many times, unprovoked and unbalanced angry outbursts are due to stress, undetected health problems, fatigue, embarrassment, psychological problems, fear, or weakness.

You need to analyze the causes carefully, and depending on the reasons that make you angry, you need to learn about managing anger.

2. Identify your anger symptoms:  

It is a common perception that people with anger issues just lash out without any provocation or warning. However, anger has clear physical symptoms that manifest themselves just before the outburst.

If you understand these symptoms and identify them as soon as they appear, you might get better at managing anger. Some of the common symptoms are tightening of stomach muscles, clenching of hands or jaw, rapid breathing, faster heartbeat, inability to focus, sense of restlessness, and headaches.

3. Identify your anger triggers:  

Careful analysis can help you identify patterns that lead to outbursts.

If you are someone who uses words like “always” and “never” in arguments, then you must know that such phrases are great anger triggers.

For instance, a statement like, “You always fail to do what I say” or “I never do this” will more often than not escalate a situation.

Similarly, if you react based on your assumptions, it can lead to angry outbursts.

For instance, when a colleague doesn’t respond to your greeting, you might assume that he or she is unhappy with you. You might reciprocate by giving that person the cold shoulder the next time, and before either of you realize, it could become a serious problem.

Your assumption would prevent you from thinking if the other person didn’t respond because he or she didn’t hear you or was busy on a call.

4. Learn cooling-off techniques:

Some people are able to let their anger dissipate by practicing deep breathing, counting sheep mentally, and so on. If you are prone to losing your temper, you must learn a cooling-off technique that can prevent an unhealthy outburst.

It is not advisable to suppress anger as that would only lead to its accumulation. However, if you let your anger manifest uncontrollably, it is bound to have harmful short- and long-term effects on your personal and professional life.

You might find yourself losing your cool in the face of challenges and setbacks in these uncertain times. Harappa’s Embracing Change course helps you deal with these setbacks and not lose your temper.

Discover our Harappa Diaries section to know more about topics related to the Lead habit such as Resilience and the Meaning of Humility .

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A systematic review of neural, cognitive, and clinical studies of anger and aggression

Yuliya richard.

1 Blue Horizon Counseling Services, Sydney, Australia

2 Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain

3 Universite Med 5th, Rabat, Morocco

Dorota Frydecka

4 Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteur Street 10, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland

Mohamed S. Hamid

5 College of Education, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Ahmed A. Moustafa

6 Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2193 South Africa

7 School of Psychology, Faculty of Society and Design, Bond University, Gold Coast, QLD Australia

Associated Data

No data is collected in this systematic review.

Anger and aggression have large impact on people’s safety and the society at large. In order to provide an intervention to minimise aggressive behaviours, it is important to understand the neural and cognitive aspects of anger and aggression. In this systematic review, we investigate the cognitive and neural aspects of anger-related processes, including anger-related behaviours and anger reduction. Using this information, we then review prior existing methods on the treatment of anger-related disorders as well as anger management, including mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy. At the cognitive level, our review that anger is associated with excessive attention to anger-related stimuli and impulsivity. At the neural level, anger is associated with abnormal functioning of the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. In conclusion s, based on cognitive and neural studies, we here argue that mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy may be better at reducing anger and aggression than other behavioural treatments, such as cognitive behavioural therapy or mindfulness alone. We provide key information on future research work and best ways to manage anger and reduce aggression. Importantly, future research should investigate how anger related behaviours is acquired and how stress impacts the development of anger.

Introduction

There are at least two views of emotions. First, emotions are perceived as discrete concepts (Ekman, 2016 ), comprised of six categories: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. The discrete view of emotions has dominated psychology research for several decades, although there are arguments against it (Cowen et al., 2019 ). Cowen et al. ( 2019 ) argue that emotions are more complex than the basic six emotional categories. They argue that humans can experience a mix of these emotions, and also feelings that do not fall into these six categories. Further, another view is the social constructionist view, which considers emotions as products of brain processes in interaction with different social realities (Barrett, 2006 ). The latter view is more suited to better explain the complexities of emotional processes (including anger), and aligns well the high dimensional view of emotions by Cowen et al. ( 2019 ).

According to Blair ( 2012 ), anger occurs in different scenarios, including exposure to extreme heat, not receiving an expected reward, being treated unfairly, or actions by others that impact one’s goals or plans. Along these lines, anger feelings can occur when one’s goal is blocked (Berkowitz, 1993 ). For example, using simulated driving experiments, drivers may show anger feelings when they are forced to slow down (Stephens & Groeger, 2009 ). Another study found that sleep deprivation was related to the development of anger (Saghir et al., 2018 ). One study reported that anger and aggression can occur due to social rejection, frustration, provocation, and social stress (Lickley & Sebastian, 2018 ). Furthermore, state anger was shown to be associated with feelings of revenge (DiGiuseppe & Froh, 2002 ). Several studies have also shown that anger occurs due to social isolation and restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic (Abadi et al., 2021 ; Aki et al., 2020 ; Smith et al., 2021 ).

Anger is important to investigate as it is an approach-, rather than avoidance- related response (Carver & Harmon-Jones, 2009 ). Anger is in contrast to other negative emotional feelings, such as depression or sadness, as the latter do not often lead to approach behaviours (Zhan et al., 2018 ). This has been experimentally corroborated using reaction time tasks of moving forward or backward in response to neutral or anger-related words (Mayan & Meiran, 2011 ). In this study, presenting participants with anger-related stimuli has led to moving forward more than when presenting them with neutral stimuli. This can possibly explain why anger can sometimes lead to aggressive behaviours.

Although important, anger-related disorders only appear in DSM, as symptoms of clinical disorders, such as oppositional defiant disorder and intermittent explosive disorder (APA, 2013 ). Many patient populations show problems with anger management (Lievaart et al., 2016 ), including borderline personality disorder (Critchfield et al., 2004 ). Several studies have found that anger is related to alcohol and drug abuse. One study found cannabis use disorder is associated with inability to control anger among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans (Dillon et al., 2021 ). Other studies also found that state and trait anger are risk factors for substance use and abuse (Baharvand & Malekshahi, 2019 ). Alcohol use disorders were found to be related to both state and trait anger (Sharma et al., 2017 ). The impact of alcohol on anger could be related to the activation of GABA receptors, and thus inhibiting the prefrontal cortex (Abernathy et al., 2010 ; Tu et al., 2007 ). As we discuss below, the prefrontal cortex plays a key role in anger control and a damage to this area may then increase anger-related behaviours.

The current paper also deals with few challenges in the literature, including the following: (a) what is the relationship between anger and aggression, (b) which cognitive processes are associated with anger and aggression, (c) what are the neural substrates of anger and aggressive behaviour, and (d) what are best interventions or counselling techniques for minimizing anger and aggression. Importantly, unlike prior work, here, we aim to link successful intervention to cognitive and neural substrates of anger and aggression.

Anger can often lead to aggression, which has negative impacts on the individual and society. While anger is an emotional feeling, aggression/violence is a behaviour that can occur mostly due to anger-related feelings. It is important to note that there are many differences between state and trait anger (for discussion, see Spielberger, 1988 ). According to Spielberger ( 1988 ), unlike trait anger, state anger is a transient subjective emotional feeling of intense fury and rage. We suggest that state anger is most likely initiated more by very extreme external factors, while individuals with high trait anger may show anger-related behaviours (e.g., violence, aggression, among others) in response to minor hostility, such as provocation or insult (Deffenbacher, 1992 ; Smith et al., 2004 ). While it is perceived as maladaptive, it has been argued that anger has a very important evolutionary value for personality building and growth (Williams, 2017 ). While it is often assumed that anger feelings will lead to aggressive behaviours (Cheriji et al., 2012 ), this is not always the case. This assumption is based on findings that anger feelings are very strong, making aggression a likely outcome. However, some anger management techniques were found to reduce anger but not aggression (Chambers et al., 2009 ), suggesting that anger and aggression are not always interrelated. Further, it is not clear if anger leads to either reactive (i.e., impulsive) or proactive (i.e., planned) aggression (Lickley & Sebastian, 2018 ). Unlike proactive aggression, impulsive aggression has been reported in many patient populations, such as schizophrenia and PTSD (Arseneault et al., 2000 ; Comai et al., 2012a , b ; Hoptman, 2015 ).

Anger is important to treat, as anger control deficits have negative consequences. A lack of anger control was found to negatively impact mental health (Prabhu et al., 2014 ) and lead to poor and maladaptive decisions (Meissner et al., 2021 ). For example, Masood et al. ( 2019 ) suggested that anger could be a factor underlying suicide ideation. Further, anger and suicide are were found to be common and related in younger than older adults (Khan & Hyder, 2006 ). Many individuals arrested for domestic violence incidents often undergo anger management training (Lee & DiGiuseppe, 2018 ), as anger is the likely culprit of violence-related behaviours. Further, anger can impact relationships and lead to domestic violence (Baron et al., 2007 ). See Fig.  1 for a description of negative consequences of anger.

A description of cognitive processes underlying anger as well as consequents of anger

Importantly, the goal of this article is to investigate the cognitive and neural substrates of anger and aggression, and then use this information to investigate best treatment for anger and aggression. It is hoped that effective treatments for anger should be able to ameliorate anger-related cognitive and neural dysfunction.

In this systematic review, we have searched the following databases: Google Scholar, ProQuest, Pubmed, and PsychInfo. We have used a combination of two keywords in our searches. The first key word was anger, anger management, anger control, anger prevention, aggression, and anger-related processes. The second keyword was neural, brain, cognition, clinical, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychiatric (as well as variations of these words, such as bipolar). In addition, the search was limited to studies that used human participants and were published in English. Further, we have examined each paper carefully to make sure the goal of the study is examining anger and its relation to cognition, the brain, and clinical disorders. Studies that did not specifically measure anger were excluded. After removing duplicates and unrelated articles, here, we discuss 46 articles. Importantly, in discussion, we explain the relationship among all of these processes, such as the relationship between cognitive underpinnings of anger and its treatment. Please, see our search strategy in Fig.  2 .

Search strategy used in our systematic review

This study is designed in order to link successful interventions and counselling techniques for anger-related behaviours and aggression to existing cognitive and neural dysfunction. Accordingly, key words used in the systematic review were selected to first explain cognitive and neural abnormalities related to anger and aggression. Following that, key words related to intervention or counselling for anger and aggression are selected. After finding all related papers, we have divided our search findings into three related themes: cognitive correlates of anger, neural substrates of anger, and the treatment of anger. Below, we discuss each in detail, respectively.

Cognitive Correlates of Anger: Focus on Attention and Impulsivity

Several studies have investigated cognitive processes underlying state and trait anger as well as aggression (Simmons et al., 2022 ; Wilkowski & Robinson, 2008 , 2010 ). To our knowledge, at least, three studies found that anger is related to frontal-based cognitive processes, such as attention, cognitive control (Rueda et al., 2004 ; Zelazo & Cunningham, 2007 ) and emotional dysregulation (Koole & Tschacher, 2016 ; Szasz et al., 2011 ).

Studies have shown that anger is related to paying excessive attention to anger-related stimuli. For example, individuals high in trait anger pay more attention to anger- and hostile-related stimuli than individuals low in trait anger (Alia-Klein et al., 2018 ; Gable, et al., 2015a , 2015b ). Some studies also have found that compared to individuals low in high trait anger, individuals high in trait anger tend to pay more attention to anger- and hostile-related stimuli in the environment (Wilkowski & Robinson, 2008 ). Using an emotional Stroop task that include anger-related stimuli, it was found that individuals who are high on trait anger show difficulty disengaging from anger-related stimuli (Eckhardt & Cohen, 1997 ; Putman et al., 2004 ; Smith & Waterman, 2005 ; van Honk et al., 2001 ). Using the visual search task, it was also found that individuals who are high on trait anger pay a lot more attention to anger-related than neutral stimuli (P. Smith & Waterman, 2003 ). Along these lines, it has been reported that trait anger impacts the functioning of brain regions responsible for attentional processes (Alia-Klein et al., 2018 ).

In addition to attention, several studies found that impulsivity is a key factor underlying the occurrence of anger-related processes. For example, Masood et al. ( 2019 ) investigated differences in impulsivity and anger in two groups of Pakistani students: suicide ideators and non-ideators. They found anger and impulsivity were higher than in suicide ideators than in suicide non-ideators (for similar results also see Daniel et al., 2009 ). Similar results on the association between impulsivity, anger, and suicide were reported in different Eastern and Western countries (Ammerman et al., 2015 ; McGirr et al., 2008 ; Wang et al., 2014 ). The anger-based Go/NoGo task was also used to measure impulsivity in relation to anger. In this task, participants were required to either respond (Go trials) or not to respond (NoGo trials) for different both neutral and anger-related stimuli. It was also found that trait anger is related to impulsivity in anger-based Go/NoGo task (Lievaart et al., 2018 ). See Fig.  1 for a description of cognitive processes underlying anger-related processes. In sum, most prior studies found that anger and aggression are related to paying attention to anger-related stimuli in the environment as well as impulsive behaviours.

Neural Substrates of Anger

There are several brain areas that play a role in anger-related processes, including the amygdala and several frontal cortical areas. While there are other brain regions implicated in anger such as the hypothalamus (Gouveia et al., 2019 ) and the periaqueductal grey region (Blair, 2016 ; Gouveia et al., 2019 ), in this section, we will focus on brain regions related to understanding higher-level processes of anger and its treatment: the amygdala and prefrontal cortex.

Several studies show that the amygdala plays a role in anger processing (Alia-Klein et al., 2009 , 2020 ; Blair, 2012 ; Carlson et al., 2010 ). For example, it has been shown that amygdala activation increases in response to the presentation of angry stimuli (Derntl et al., 2009 ). In patients with social phobia, the amygdala showed higher activation in response to fear stimuli (Stein et al., 2002 ). Amygdala lesion was found to impair ability to perceive fear and anger (Scott et al., 1997 ). It is argued that an increase in testosterone levels impacts amygdala activity, leading to anger induction (Batrinos, 2012 ). Importantly, the amygdala includes several subregions that belong to different functional systems (Moustafa et al., 2013 ; Swanson & Petrovich, 1998 ). One area of the amygdala is the medial and central nucleus of the amygdala, which plays a role in expression of emotions. Another area is the basolateral nuclei of the amygdala, which was found to play a role in emotional learning and threat detection (Silva et al., 2016 ). One study found that the medial amygdala plays a role in rivalry aggression while the central amygdala plays a role in predatory aggression (Haller, 2018 ). Another study reported that the central amygdala plays a role in maternal aggression (Bosch & Neumann, 2010 ). Interestingly, unlike the central nucleus, one study has reported that the basolateral amygdala plays a role in reactive aggression (Buades-Rotger et al., 2019 ). In sum, these studies show that the amygdala plays a key role in processing and encoding anger and aggression.

In addition to the amygdala, several frontal cortical areas play a role in anger-related processes. For example, it has been reported that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) plays a key role in controlling anger (Alia-Klein et al., 2009 ; Klimecki et al., 2018 ) as well aggressive behaviours (Gilam et al., 2018 ; Yang et al., 2017 ). In one study, it was found that higher ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity is associated with experiencing less anger in the Ultimatum game (Gilam et al., 2015 ), suggesting that this brain area inhibit anger-related behaviours. In another study, it was found that the left anterior middle frontal gyrus (which is connected to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex) plays a role in anger control and reduction (Eshel et al., 2021 ). These findings are in agreement with studies showing frontal lesion or injury can lead to increased anger and aggression (Cristofori et al., 2016 ; Grafman et al., 1996 ; Seguin, 2009 ). In sum, prior studies show that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex plays a key role in anger control and reduction.

In addition to the ventromedial cortex and dorsal prefrontal cortex, other cortical regions, including the anterior cingulate and insula were found to play a role in anger and aggression, including reactive aggression (Denson et al., 2009 ; Kramer et al., 2007 ). An increase of activation in the anterior cingulate cortex and insula were reported in anger-inducing situations (Damasio et al., 2000 ).

It is important to note that these brain regions do not work in isolation, as the amygdala and other cortical areas discussed above are heavily interconnected. For example, it is known for several decades that frontal cortical areas, including ventromedial prefrontal cortex, insula, anterior cingulate, and dorsal prefrontal regions are connected via bidirectional pathways (Morawetz et al., 2016 ). Further, while the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex play a role in anger encoding and inhibition, they both projects to dorsal prefrontal regions responsible for the initiation of anger-related behaviours. This is supported by studies showing that the frontal cortex seems be the locus of anger-related behaviours, that is, anger expression (Blair, 2012 ). One study found that reactive aggression and anger is associated with a decreased connectivity between the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (Siep et al., 2019 ). Furthermore, most frontal cortical regions send projections to different subregions in the amygdala, including via the intercalated cells to the central nucleus as well as to the basolateral amygdala (Alexandra Kredlow et al., 2021 ; Ganella et al., 2017 ; Gold et al., 2016 ; Pare & Smith, 1993 ). However, it is not known how the interconnections among these cortical and subcortical structures mediate anger-related behaviours. Figure  3 shows a simplified neural network underlying anger encoding, expression, and reduction.

Neural underpinnings of anger, showing dual pathways of anger induction and control. While the amygdala plays a role in anger induction, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and associated areas play a role in anger control. Green lines represent induction while red lines represent inhibition of anger responses. See text for discussion

Treatment of Anger and Aggression

There are different kinds of treatments for the treatment of anger and aggression. Cognitively oriented psychotherapies have been shown to be successful in reducing an individual’s tendency toward anger and reactive aggression (Beck & Fernandez, 1998 ; Deffenbacher et al., 2000 ). Anger management was found to decrease aggression (Valizadeh et al., 2010 ) as well as increase self-esteem (Bradbury & Clarke, 2007 ).

However, the most commonly used treatment for anger are cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness (see for example, Onwubiko, 2022 ). For a recent review on the use of cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness for the treatment of anger and aggression, see Didden et al. ( 2019 ). However, the Didden et al. ( 2019 ) review study did not compare which treatment, cognitive behavioural therapy or mindfulness, is more effective at treating anger and aggression.

Several studies have used cognitive behavioural therapy for the treatment of anger and aggression (Haustein et al., 2021 ; Lee & DiGiuseppe, 2018 ; Sukhodolsky et al., 2016 ). It has been found that cognitive behavioural therapy can effectively manage and reduce anger-related feelings and behaviours (Henwood et al., 2015 ). Cognitive behavioural therapies tend to modify erroneous beliefs (Meyerhoff & Rohan, 2016 ; Pittig et al., 2019 ). In terms of anger, some of the wrong beliefs include “I am a better driver than other drivers” (which can lead to anger feelings when a driver makes a minor mistake) or “I am a better partner than my wife” (which leads to anger feelings when a partner does minor mistakes). Further, several studies have reported that cognitive behavioural therapy is effective for the treatment aggression in patients with intellectual disabilities (Allan et al., 2001 ; Didden et al., 2016 ; Howells et al., 2000 ; Lindsay et al., 2003 ; Taylor & Novaco, 2013 ). Didden et al. ( 2016 ) argued cognitive behavioural therapy has some limitations (e.g., ineffective in some individuals as well as relapse) which need to be augmented with other treatment to address mental health problems in individuals who present with aggression problems.

In addition to cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness-based therapy is commonly used to treat anger and aggression. Mindfulness was found to be negatively related to anger and aggressive behaviour among drivers (Borders et al., 2010 ; Stephens et al., 2018 ). Mindfulness training is successful at reducing anger (Amutio et al., 2014 ; Fix & Fix, 2013 ; Heppner et al., 2008 ; Wright et al., 2009 ). Mindfulness helps to increase awareness to the current situation in order to assess it and act in a more appropriate way. Mindfulness training techniques were also found to decrease amygdala activity (Murakami et al., 2015 ), explaining perhaps how mindfulness is effective at treating anger. Mindfulness training includes training clients to disengage their attention from anger-related triggers (Didden et al., 2019 ). Several other studies have shown that mindfulness training successfully reduced aggression in individuals with intellectual disabilities (Singh et al., 2013 ), although it is not clear if these findings are generalizable to other populations.

Importantly, several studies have tested whether mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy is effective at treating anger and aggression (see for example, Kelly, 2007 ; Sohn et al., 2018 ). One study found that mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy is more effective at reducing anger in male taxi drivers than cognitive behavioural therapy (Kazemeini et al., 2013 ). Along these lines, it has been reported that mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy can effectively decrease impulsive behaviours and increase emotional regulation, thus managing anger and aggression (Clark, 2020 ). In a recent study conducted in Iran, it was found that mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy effectively improved anger control in males (Badpa et al., 2019 ). Mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy was also found to reduce driving anger (Diebold, 2003 ).

In this review, we discussed the cognitive correlates of anger, neural substrates of anger, anger-related disorders, and the treatment of anger and its related disorders. In terms of cognitive underpinnings of anger, we found that impulsivity and impaired attention are related to anger processes.

Importantly, we found that like anxiety and drug seeking processes, there are different neural substrates for anger induction and anger control. The role of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in anger control is similar to its role in reducing drug-seeking behaviours (Ebrahimi et al., 2019 ; Ghazizadeh et al., 2012 ; Konova et al., 2019 ; Peters et al., 2013 ; Radell et al., 2020 ; Sheynin et al., 2016 ) and anxiety (Hennings et al., 2020 ; Kalisch et al., 2006 ; Moustafa et al., 2013 ; Quirk et al., 2000 ; Radell et al., 2017 ; Scharfenort & Lonsdorf, 2016 ; Sierra-Mercado et al., 2010 ). These studies suggest that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex is very likely a control/inhibition mechanism for different behaviours, including drug seeking, anxiety, and anger This view is supported by recent studies on the role of vmPFC in anger and anxiety (Suzuki & Tanaka, 2021 ) and also on the close connection between anxiety and anger (Carre et al., 2012 ).

In short, the brain has likely evolved a mechanism that include regions for anger expression and different regions for anger reduction. This is most likely similar to other processes, such as the direct and indirect pathways in the basal ganglia that initiate and inhibit movement (Frank et al., 2007 ; Mandali et al., 2015 ; Moustafa et al., 2016 ), brain stimuli nuclei that control sleep (Hassani, Lee, & Jones), prefrontal-hippocampal circuit that control memory retrieval and submission (Benoit & Anderson, 2012 ), and amygdala regions that regulate fear initiation and expression (Strobel et al., 2015 ). For discussion on this topic, see Moustafa ( 2015 ).

Based on studies discussed above showing that anxiety and anger share some similarities, it is suggested that similar treatment strategies can be used for the treatment of both disorders (Brondolo et al., 1997 ). For example, cue exposure therapy has been extensively used for the treatment for anxiety (Suveg et al., 2018 ; Tay et al., 2019 ). Accordingly, Brondolo et al. ( 1997 ) suggested that cue exposure therapy can be used for the treatment of anger-related disorders. They suggested that like anxiety, anger can be triggered by some stimuli in the environment, and cue exposure therapy can teach patients with anger-related disorders to reduce their anger behaviours in relation to these triggers. Cue exposure therapy is an established treatment for anxiety disorders (Bahi & Dreyer, 2020 ; Javanbakht, 2018 ; Loucks et al., 2019 ; Nonkes et al., 2012 ; Stenmark et al., 2013 ). Other studies have also shown that cue exposure therapy can effectively decrease anger feelings (Stapleton et al., 2006 ).

Importantly, our review shows that mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy is more effective at treating anger and aggression than other behavioural treatments. This is possibly due to mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy ameliorates cognitive and neural abnormalities related to anger. For example, several studies found that mindfulness can increase attention and decrease impulsivity (Franco et al., 2016 ; Korponay et al., 2019 ; Liu et al., 2021 ; Wimmer et al., 2020 ) and also ameliorate ventromedial prefrontal cortex function (Kirk et al., 2014 ). Similarly, cognitive behavioural therapy was found to increase activity of cortical and subcortical structures impacted by anger, including prefrontal cortex, insula, and anterior cingulate (Porto et al., 2009 ; Seminowicz et al., 2013 ; Straube et al., 2006 ). These findings could explain why combining both mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy is more effective at managing anger than each therapy alone.

Future Work

Given the similarity between anxiety, drug addiction, and anger (see above, and also see Walsh et al., 2018 ), future research should investigate environmental cues that leads to anger. Furthermore, there has been research on the acquisition of emotional responses in the domain of fear and anxiety. Along these lines, given the potential similar role for ventromedial prefrontal cortex and also amygdala in both anxiety and anger, it is possible treatments used for anxiety can successfully also manage anger. Our study has implications for counselling services in high (secondary) schools for mitigating violence and aggression (Arfasa & Weldmeskel, 2020 ). Counselling techniques should include methods to enhance anger control (by activating the ventromedial prefrontal cortex). These techniques can help improve academic and emotional performance of high school students (Arfasa & Weldmeskel, 2020 ). These points should be investigated in future studies.

Research has shown that anxiety can be acquired (Barot et al., 2009 ; Park et al., 2020 ; Rio-Alamos et al., 2015 ). However, to our knowledge, there are almost no research studies on how anger responses are acquired (or learned) in animals and humans. One exception is a study by Stephens and Groeger ( 2011 ) showing anger elicited in one situation can be carried over to subsequent similar scenarios.

Further, anger and aggression have been defined across different dimensions, such that there are state and trait anger and reactive and proactive aggression (see I ntroduction). However, it is not known how the different types of anger to relate to different types of aggression, which should be investigated in future work .

Furthermore, it is not clear why people are easier to have anger feelings when distressed (O'Grady et al., 2012 ; Onyedibe et al., 2020 ). It is possible that this is due to distress increases amygdala activity (Chen et al., 2017 ; Ressler, 2010 ), leading to anger induction. Another potential mechanism is stress causes homeostatic imbalance (Ladakis & Chouvarda, 2021 ), which can, in turn, increase anger feelings and expression (Robins & Novaco, 1999 ; Sorci et al., 2013 ; Williams, 2017 ). Further, future work should investigate mediating factors underlying the distress-anger relationship. It is possible that emotional regulation and mindfulness can help reduce anger in distress-related situations.

While it is well-documented that anger may impact decision making and lead to impulsivity, the reverse could also be correct. In other words, an individual’s decision making style may relate to their anger feelings. This can be studied in future studies by using the General Decision Making Style Questionnaire (Scott & Bruce, 1995 ). Individuals who score low in the rational decision making questions may also show more anger feelings.

Importantly, future research should also compare the existing treatments of anger and aggression including mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy. To our knowledge, there is only study that have compared mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy in the context of driving (Kazemeini et al., 2013 ). Given prior studies and the link between anger and distress, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation, it is likely that mindfulness will be more effective at managing anger. Further, future work should investigate how both cognitive behavioural therapies and mindfulness modify erroneous beliefs related to anger, as discussed above (Meyerhoff & Rohan, 2016 ; Pittig et al., 2019 ).

Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions

Data Availability

Declarations.

The authors declared not having any conflict of interest.

No ethics application is needed for this systematic review.

The authors confirm that no consent was required here, as the review did not include testing participants.

Publisher's note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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Anger Does a Lot More Damage to Your Body Than You Realize

G etting angry doesn’t just hurt our mental health, it’s also damaging to our hearts, brains and gastrointestinal systems, according to doctors and recent research. Of course, it’s a normal emotion that everyone feels—few of us stay serene when a driver cuts us off or a boss makes us stay late. But getting mad too often or for too long can cause problems.

There are ways to keep your anger from doing too much damage. Techniques like meditation can help, as can learning to express your anger in healthier ways.

One recent study looked at anger’s effects on the heart. It found that anger can raise the risk of heart attacks because it impairs the functioning of blood vessels, according to a May study in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers examined the impact of three different emotions on the heart: anger, anxiety and sadness. One participant group did a task that made them angry, another did a task that made them anxious, while a third did an exercise designed to induce sadness.

The scientists then tested the functioning of the blood vessels in each participant, using a blood pressure cuff to squeeze and release the blood flow in the arm. Those in the angry group had worse blood flow than those in the others; their blood vessels didn’t dilate as much.

“We speculate over time if you’re getting these chronic insults to your arteries because you get angry a lot, that will leave you at risk for having heart disease,” says Dr. Daichi Shimbo, a professor of medicine at Columbia University and lead author of the study.

Your gastrointestinal system

Doctors are also gaining a better understanding of how anger affects your GI system.

When someone becomes angry, the body produces numerous proteins and hormones that increase inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation can raise your risk of many diseases.

The body’s sympathetic nervous system—or “fight or flight” system—is also activated, which shunts blood away from the gut to major muscles, says Stephen Lupe, director of behavioral medicine at the Cleveland Clinic’s department of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition. This slows down movement in the GI tract, which can lead to problems like constipation.

In addition, the space in between cells in the lining of the intestines opens up, which allows more food and waste to go in those gaps, creating more inflammation that can fuel symptoms such as stomach pain, bloating or constipation.

Anger can harm our cognitive functioning, says Joyce Tam, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. It involves the nerve cells in the prefrontal cortex, the front area of our brain that can affect attention, cognitive control and our ability to regulate emotions.

Anger can trigger the body to release stress hormones into the bloodstream. High levels of stress hormones can damage nerve cells in the brain’s prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, says Tam.

Damage in the prefrontal cortex can affect decision-making, attention and executive function, she adds.

The hippocampus, meanwhile, is the main part of the brain used in memory. So when neurons are damaged, that can disrupt the ability to learn and retain information, says Tam.

What you can do about it

First, figure out if you’re angry too much or too often. There’s no hard and fast rule. But you may have cause for concern if you’re angry for more days than not, or for large portions of the day, says Antonia Seligowski, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, who studies the brain-heart connection.

Getting mad briefly is different than experiencing chronic anger, she says.

“If you have an angry conversation every now and again or you get upset every now and again, that’s within the normal human experience,” she says. “When a negative emotion is prolonged, when you’re really having a lot more of it and maybe more intensely, that’s where it’s bad for your health.”

Try mental-health exercises. Her group is looking at whether mental-health treatments, like certain types of talk therapy or breathing exercises, may also be able to improve some of the physical problems caused by anger.

Other doctors recommend anger-management strategies. Hypnosis, meditation and mindfulness can help, says the Cleveland Clinic’s Lupe. So too can changing the way you respond to anger.

Slow down your reactions. Try to notice how you feel and slow down your response, and then learn to express it. You also want to make sure you’re not suppressing the feeling, as that can backfire and exacerbate the emotion.

Instead of yelling at a family member when you’re angry or slamming something down, say, “I am angry because X, Y and Z, and therefore I don’t feel like eating with you or I need a hug or support,” suggests Lupe.

“Slow the process down,” he says.

Write to Sumathi Reddy at [email protected]