Common anger myths

If you don’t express anger you just might explode

 The truth is, the more often you express anger, the more likely you are to get angry in the future. 

Men are angrier than females

 If angrier means how often people express anger, it’s simply not true that men are angrier than women. Surveys have proven this.

Anger is awful

When private, anger can boost you, improve your communication with other people, and protect you against fear and insecurity.

Anger is fine

When it leads to domestic rough treatment, property harm, sexual abuse, drug compulsion,  and self-mutilation, anger is definitely not fine.

The older you get, the more touchy you are

It’s the other way round- as people age, they report less nonconstructive emotions and greater emotional control.

Anger is all in the mind

When you get angry, that emotion manifests itself throughout your body too and not only your mind, like the hair on the back of your neck, your blood pressure, your heart rate, your gut etc.

Anger is all about getting even

The most common motive behind has been shown to be a desire to assert authority or independence or to improve one’s image. Revenge is a secondary motive.

If you don’t express anger you will be seen as weak

This is not true. A calm, measured, assertive response not only works better but is also quite powerful.

People with anger issues have low self-esteem

 This is not always true. A much more common companion of anger is excessively inflated self-esteem. 

Only some type of people have anger problems

 You can find angry truck drivers, lawyers, policemen college professors,  grand-mothers, , poor people, millionaires, children, , physicians and  aged people. Anger is a general emotion.

Anger results from human conflict

Sometimes yes but people also get angry by being exposed to foul odours, negotiating traffic jams, aches and pains, computer problems, none of which involve direct, intentional actions of other humans.

All images are courtesy Pixabay

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