This article explores the evolutionary purpose of emotions, particularly anger, and provides advice on how to channel it productively. It emphasizes the importance of finding a clear goal and target for anger to avoid becoming consumed by negativity.
All emotions serve an evolutionary purpose – the key is not to hide from anger, but to harness it productively. Unshackled from routine in these strange midwinter days, it is all too easy to find ourselves immersed in ruminations about the things that make us angry and sad. Photograph: Agency Stock– war, the economy, climate, housing and more.
And there is anger too – at the awfulness of Gaza, Sudan and other warzones and the more personal reasons to be angry that haunt many injured family, friend and work relationships. in these strange midwinter days, it is all too easy to find ourselves immersed in ruminations about the state of the world, or individual hurts and perceived injustices. Emotions evolved because they served a purpose – they helped us to survive and pass on our genes. Anxiety’s purpose was to make us run from danger. The purpose of sadness was to gain succour from others; disgust is designed to stop us being poisoned, and happiness to attract a mate. Deprived of a clear goal and a specific target of the emotion, anger is like a car engine disconnected from its wheels – its revving becomes a useless whine which makes the car rattle and shudder but go nowhereIn pictures: New Year’s Eve in DublinThe poet Maya Angelou said that you should be angry but not bitter because bitterness “eats upon the host”. Instead, she says, you should avoid bitterness and use anger by taking action of some kind. Aristotle said something similar: anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose and in the right way ... is not easy. Angelou and Aristotle speak sense, neuropsychologically speaking. Deprived of a clear goal and a specific target of the emotion, anger is like a car engine disconnected from its wheels – its revving becomes a useless whine which makes the car rattle and shudder but go nowher
ANGER EMOTIONS EVOLUTION PRODUCTIVITY WELL-BEING
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