Lifespan Shortened By Blood-Boiling Anger

Don't get too angry. After all, everything passes--that, and science shows that excessive anger can shorten your lifespan.

Statistics found that men dealing with too many anger issues at the age of 35 were more likely to be dead 35 years later than counterparts who were not as angry.

During the study, researchers used data from a nationally representative sample of 1,307 male heads of the household who were then followed from 1968 to 2007. All participants were between the ages of 20 and 40 when asked questions for the first time. Between 1968 and 1972, the men were questioned annually about their anger levels and whether or not they got upset easily or it took a lot to make them angry. Then, each man's score was averaged for the five years.

"People who are quick to become angry have developed exaggerated unconscious beliefs about injustice that may have been triggered by past negative experiences and have almost certainly been reinforced by excessive expression of anger over a long period," said London-based chartered psychologist Graham Price.

Those with a 1.57-fold increase associated with anger showed an increased risk of dying during the follow up period, when compared to those in the bottom quartile.

"The way to unwind such beliefs is to accept feelings of anger, using mindfulness tools, and then withhold expressing the anger," said Price, via The Daily Mail. "Anger is a form of stress and stress increases cortisol levels in the bloodstream.

"Studies have shown that if anger or other forms of stress are maintained over long periods, negative health impacts can result, including developing IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) or increased strokes, heart attacks and other cardiac problems."

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