Getting into an angry fit is certainly not desirable, yet we do burst, enraged. A recent study, focused on the ravages of anger, has listed risk of injury, as top of charts, particularly in the case of men. Men Beware!
The findings have found a place in the Annals of Family Medicine. 2000 patients, treated for injuries such as broken bones, cuts, and traumas were targeted by researchers to probe into the events, prior to an injury. In a startling revelation, most had experienced bouts of anger before the injury, leading the researchers to analyze that anger elevated risk levels by up to eight times.Researchers went to the extent of comparing emotional levels in both men and women, 24 hours before the injury as well as minutes before the injury. The findings reported that peaked emotional levels, sparked by anger, just before the injury, appeared to have contributed to the injury. In addition to this, the researchers sought answers from a parallel team of adults; each person was linked to a patient and rating of emotions for the day and hour of the week was compared with a patient parallel’s response during the same time. When the patients' emotion ratings before the injury were compared with their own for the previous day, anger appeared to contribute to injury risk, especially for men.
Researchers analyzed that men were 7 times prone to getting injured subsequent to an angry outburst as compared to women. Even moderate levels of anger raised the risk of injury in men. Women got into trouble only when they were really angry.
Whether anger also contributes to traffic accidents, needs more evidence and probing, according to lead study author Dr. Daniel C. Vinson of the University of Missouri-Columbia. When people are in a driver’s seat, they understand the repercussions of emotional disturbance and perhaps exercise restraint. This control should be extended to other situations as well, according to him.
Anger is certainly not worth all the pitfalls associated with it, Heart disease not withstanding. So what’s the moral of the story? Simply back off when you are angry!
