The Emotional Intelliegnce Series: Pt1

More than a feeling… What are emotions, and what are they trying to tell us? This is just a small part of our look into the science and art of Emotionally Intelligence.

It all begins with a feeling, or does it? Psychological theories of emotions focus on their different factors – the physical, cognitive, neurological and environmental – in different ways, however, agree that emotions are complex states which include and interplay of subjective cognitive experiences, physiological responses, and are accompanied by physical and behavioural changes.

Unlike traits, emotional states are transient in nature, play a crucial role in survival, adaptation, motivation and social interactions, help us respond to the world around us and guide our behaviours.

There is depth and richness to explore when developing emotional awareness, literacy and emotional intelligence. When we learn to work with our emotions in a healthy and effective manner, they can forge depth in our relationships, vitality in our bodies and richness in our experiences of life. 

All emotions have an evolutionary purpose. To begin our EiQ Series, we’re going to get straight to it and focus on one often misunderstood, and misued emotions - Anger.

It is one of our most primal and powerful emotions that has evolved as a sophisticated adaptation with specific survival functions. 

Psychologically, anger is an emotional state characterized by feelings of antagonism toward something or someone (this can include the self) regarding a wrongdoing. It exists on a spectrum from mild irritation to intense rage, often accompanied by thoughts of blame, unfairness, and a desire for corrective action. 

Cognitively, anger narrows our attention to focus intensely on the perceived threat while reducing our capacity for nuanced thinking. 

Physiologically, anger also narrows our physical vision, inhibiting our ability to accurately perceive our surroundings. Anger also triggers a cascade of biological changes: the amygdala signals danger, prompting the hypothalamus to activate the sympathetic nervous system. This releases hormones that increase heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure while diverting blood flow to muscles. Simultaneously, the HPA axis activates, releasing cortisol to sustain the stress response lasting up to 72 hours+ after a triggering event.

Outwardly visible signs include dilated pupils, flushed skin, muscle tension (particularly in the shoulders, face and jaw), and altered vocal patterns. Internally, glands and organs which produce and metabolise the biochemicals associated with anger, including the brain, liver, adrenal glands, and digestive systems, are affected. 

So, what’s the good news?! Anger is adaptive and can become a helpful ally when we understand it and ourselves a little better!

The Adaptive Functions of Anger

The House Alarm

Anger acts as an alarm, helping us to identify dangers. It activates the fight-or-flight response stimulating the sympathetic state of our autonomic nervous system. This physiological response increases blood flow to muscles, elevates heart rate, and heightens sensory awareness - all adaptations that would have helped our ancestors confront dangers. 

In modern day, this response alerts us to when and to what intensity someone has, in our subjective experience (remember sometimes our perspective is not the full story), violated our mental, emotional or physical spaces, or caused us harm. 

🧠 Ask yourself: What danger is demanding my attention? Is it real or perceived danger?

The Boundary Line

Anger helps establish and maintain personal boundaries. It alerts us when our interests are threatened and motivates action to protect ourselves. This boundary-setting function remains vitally important for psychological and relational health today. 

This response also alerts us to when we are overstepping our own boundaries, be it in our values, our behaviours or overextending ourselves in certain situations. We can feel this as self-directed frustration or anger.  Developing the skill of strategic expression helps us to utilise anger in a constructive way to set boundaries and protect relationships

🧠 Ask yourself: What boundaries are needing to be set or reinforced?

The Bodyguard

Anger also helps in defending our resources, protecting our status and assists in healing trauma. Anger has been considered a more acceptable form of emotion in many cultures, groups and historical times, as compared to more vulnerable emotions. Anger is very well recognised as the bodyguard to emotions such as grief, loss, sadness, fear, and helplessness - which I like to call emotive relational resources (because when embodied and expressed appropriately with safe people, they open spaces for deep compassion, trust, acceptance and intimacy). These more sensitive emotions are often hidden under the veil of anger due to cultural, gender and familial norms, stigma or a learned lack of safety in their presence. Learning how to access these deeper emotions is both a healing gift and a power which can assist in developing a better understanding of anger and the processing of it.

🧠 Ask yourself:  How is anger protecting me? 

What more vulnerable parts are asking for acknowledgement or expression?

The Consequences of Chronic or Supressed Anger

While anger evolved in environments vastly different from our modern world, we carry this ancient emotional programming into contexts where its expression can be maladaptive. We may experience anger in traffic jams or during difficult workplace interactions, but our bodies still react as though facing life-threatening situations. This evolutionary mismatch creates several challenges but perhaps the most concerning is the toll chronic anger takes on physical and mental health. 

When anger isn't acknowledged and processed effectively, it doesn't simply disappear. Instead, it manifests in our bodies and minds through various inflammatory and neurological mechanisms creating a range of health consequences from cardiovascular effects, immune suppression, digestive disturbances and tension. Psychological manifestations including depression, anxiety, and poor cognitive processing are also common effects of prolonged or suppressed anger. 

Rather than suppressing anger or expressing it destructively, we suggest a middle path: acknowledging anger's adaptive wisdom while choosing constructive responses to it and working through it with a trusted professional or capable friend.

Honouring Our Honourable Sentry

Anger isn't a design flaw in human psychology but rather a sophisticated adaptation that helped our ancestors survive. Understanding its evolutionary and integrative roots, and why we supress it or live in a chronic state of it, allows us to approach this emotion with respect rather than judgment. By acknowledging anger's ancient wisdom while choosing modern, constructive responses, we can benefit from its protective functions while avoiding its destructive potential.

In the next edition, we’ll discuss streatgeies on processing Anger and regulating emotions.

Until then…

Be. Live. Perform. Well.

Warmly,

Marissa

This newsletter is part of our series on emotional intelligence. For more information on managing emotions effectively, contact Marissa Downes at hello@integrativecoach.com.au

References:

Garfinkel SN, Zorab E, Navaratnam N, Engels M, Mallorquí-Bagué N, Minati L, Dowell NG, Brosschot JF, Thayer JF, Critchley HD. Anger in brain and body: the neural and physiological perturbation of decision-making by emotion. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2016 Jan;11(1):150-8. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsv099

Iyer, P., Korin, M. R., Higginbotham, L., & Davidson, K. W. (2010). Anger, anger expression, and health. Handbook of health psychology and behavioural medicine, 120-132.

McLaren, K. (2023). The Language of Emotions: What Your Feelings Are Trying to Tell You: Revised and Updated. Sounds True.

Smith, T. W., Glazer, K., Ruiz, J. M., & Gallo, L. C. (2004). Hostility, anger, aggressiveness, and coronary heart disease: An interpersonal perspective on personality, emotion, and health. Journal of personality, 72(6), 1217-1270.

Staicu, M. L., & Cuţov, M. (2010). Anger and health risk behaviours. Journal of medicine and life, 3(4), 372.