If therego tothat cause certain personal experiences or external events is not expressed,can be detrimental to cardiovascular health, especially of women. This is the conclusion reached by researchers from the Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment of the University of Distance Education (UNED).
The work, published in the latest issue of the magazinePsychothema, analyzes how anger affects the female population. To do this, the study authors differentiated between three types of anger: internalized, externalized and controlled. The population studied consisted of 327 women with a mean age of 35.4 years. 63% of them worked; 22% were students; 12% were housewives and the remaining 3% were unemployed.
Research reveals that, comparing manifested anger with internalized anger, it is preferable to express it since, although it is associated with higher levels of blood pressure, heart rate and greater secretion of adrenaline (among other physiological reactions), recovery to levels normal is faster than if it is repressed. “The repression of anger makes these feelings last for much longer so that, although the reactions do not reach the same intensity, their duration is prolonged, with their corresponding physiological alterations”, indicates Ana M. Pérez-García, co-author of the job. This expression of anger has limits since “verbalizing anger does not mean falling into aggressive or violent acts,” adds the researcher. According to experts,the preferable from the point of view of cardiovascular health is to control anger and lead it to more favorable emotional expressions.
The existence of anger is inevitable because it acts as a natural adaptive human response to threats. However, despite being an emotional state inherent in men and women, there are cases in which anger does not follow “normal” parameters and is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. “The bad thing is not getting angry at an important reason for the individual or at situations where most people would react in a similar way,” says Pérez-García. “The problem is when one gets too angry and faced with too many things, especially if most of the people, faced with those same events, do not show anger or not with such intensity,” he adds.
To mitigate its appearance, the researchers recommend positively reassessing the problem, resorting to a sense of humor, being distracted, and doing physical exercise. And, at signs of tension, take a few seconds and breathe deeply.
