20th August 202011th November 2021 by nicola

How anger affects your brain and body

We all feel anger sometimes but what is actually going on in our brain and body? Here are some great infographics from the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine which explain what is happening.

How anger affects your brain and body

Anger can be a challenging emotion to work through. Sometimes our anger can be frightening. Or, maybe we consider it inappropriate to even feel this way at all. Not only that, when anger is misdirected, it often leads to poor choices, damaged relationships, and even violence.

So what’s really going on in the brain and body when anger is triggered? Just click on the image to enlarge it

And here is the PDF which you can download. NICABM-InfoG-Anger-Part1-Color

In the heat of anger, we often don’t use our best judgment. We may say and do things we later regret, or lose track of what we’re arguing about. Why is that?

Well, it has to do with cortisol. You see, anger can spark an overload of cortisol in the brain.

And to help you visualize what’s happening when there’s too much cortisol in the brain, we put this together for you. (Click the image to enlarge)

Here is the PDF to download if you wish NICABM-InfoG-Anger-Part2-Color

Anger is an important and sometimes necessary emotion. But all too often, anger can quickly escalate and become destructive once it’s been triggered. Uncontrollable anger can often create problems in relationships both at home and in the workplace. But beyond that, it can have devastating physical consequences.

So just how and where does anger impact the body? (Click the image to enlarge)