Aggression is everywhere and we all give in to it, be it in the guise of a bout of road rage, an argument with a salesman, a heated row with a colleague or a slanging match with the spouse. But did you know that your display of aggression may also be adversely affecting your mental, physical and social wellbeing?

Recognizing an aggressive person
An aggressive person is easy to recognize. Tightly closed lips, clenched teeth and an unsmiling face are some of the facial signs that identify such behavior. A person in this state of mind tends to stand with his/ her feet apart and speaks in a harsh, threatening voice. The gestures are also typical, with the aggressive person shaking his/her fist or pointing a finger in a threatening manner.

The toll on your health
Aggressive people are usually under stress. Stressful situations lead to the release of adrenalin in our bodies, a hormone which prepares the body to fight against stress. When you are chronically under stress, the elevated adrenalin levels can increase your blood pressure by narrowing your blood vessels. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (October 2003) reports that impatience and hostility can increase the risk for high blood pressure by nearly two-fold.

Stress hormones also increase the level of blood cholesterol and the stickiness of the circulating platelets, leading to fatty deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels. This narrowing of the blood vessels puts you at an increased risk for heart disease.

The stress associated with strong negative emotions such as anger and hostility can hasten memory loss. It is also associated with a faster than normal decline in lung power, with age.

Stress even affects the immune system and has been associated with increased risk for several conditions such as asthma, upper respiratory infections, irritable bowel syndrome, eczema, and several psychiatric disorders.

What is worse – anger can actually kill you. A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (February, 2009) shows that anger can cause dangerous changes in heart rhythms, often leading to sudden cardiac arrest and death in people who are already prone to such changes in heart rhythms.

Interestingly, unmarried men who habitually exhibit hostility and anger have higher blood sugar levels and appear to be more at risk of diabetes than married men who display the same kind of behavior (Diabetes Care, July 2008). The specific reasons for this are still unclear, but probably being in a supportive relationship reduces stress levels, and the spouse may often have the influence to curb aggressive behavior.
 
So the next time you feel an aggressive reaction coming on, remember you’re triggering a stress response that makes you vulnerable to a host of health problems.

Also read: How aggression is bad for the heart

Tags: Aggression, heart

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