How Anger Helps Us?
Please DON'T get me wrong. I am NOT inciting ANGER, NOT encouraging and definitely NOT condoning it. BUT let's face it, ANGER happens because that's part and parcel of our life. So, How Anger Helps Us? Fortunately, despite all the downsides and repercussions of ANGER, there are upsides to it, despite itπ΅π΄π·
So, HOW does ANGER help us in life? Indeed, ANGER is a powerful emotion that requires some skill to manage and to contain. On one extreme, UNCHECKED externalized ANGER can turn to violence and even aggression. On the other hand, WHEN repressed, internalized ANGER can even cause depression, health problems and other difficultiesπ π π
Somewhere midway, feeling and constructively expressing ANGER are essential and necessary to our health and well-being. DO YOU KNOW that ANGER helps us to survive? Research studies show that ANGER has played an important evolutionary role in ensuring survival. Our primal 'fight' response stems from ANGER as it motivates us to vigilantly detect threats and sharpens our focus. And WHEN our safety is at risk, our ANGER automatically activated and it drives us to defend ourselves, sometimes quickly and forcefullyπππAnd DO YOU KNOW that ANGER motivates us? Studies discovered that ANGER is associated with what's called APPROACH-related motivation. They assert that there are two basic motivational forces that underlie all behavior namely, THAT impulse to approach or move toward something desired, THAT impulse to withdraw or move away from unpleasantries. In summary, APPROACH MOTIVATION comprises emotions, cognitions and actions that are driven by the wish to achieve resultsπ§π§π§
Surprisingly, research shows that ANGER significantly activates our brain WHICH is associated with positive approach behaviors. Our takeaway? Emotions such as fear and sadness activate our brain which is tied to the more NEGATIVE, withdrawal motivational system marked by inhibition, timidity and avoidance of some kind of punishment OR threat. Thus, ANGER can potentially provide you with the energy that may be necessary to take action towards achieving certain goals OR to correct unjust situations. So, as long as we are able to contain our ANGER and leverage on it positively too boost our self-motivation, GO FOR IT, dudeπππ