If someone is angry with you, you might notice that they develop an edge to their voice when talking to you. They could sound irritated, condescending, or unemotional; it might seem like they're “taking a tone.” And if they're only mad at you, they won't have this tone with anyone else.
3 Signs Your Anger is ACTUALLY Depression or Anxiety
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What are the 5 types of anger?
But, it may be surprising to learn that there are 5 styles – Aggressive, Passive, Passive-Aggressive, Assertive, and Projective-Aggressive styles. A person using the Aggressive style of anger often feels the need to be in control of themselves, other people, and situations.
People often express their anger verbally. They may shout, threaten, use dramatic words, bombard someone with hostile questions or exaggerate the impact on them of someone else's action. Some people who are angry get their own back indirectly by acting the martyr.
The adrenal glands flood the body with stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. The brain shunts blood away from the gut and towards the muscles, in preparation for physical exertion. Heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increase, the body temperature rises and the skin perspires.
Understanding the cycle helps us to understand our own reactions and those of others. The trigger phase is when an event gets the anger cycle started. We get into an argument or receive some information that shocks us. We feel threatened at some level and our physiological system prepares to meet that threat.
While the triggers for each person may vary, Moore said there are some common causes of pent-up anger, such as feeling unheard or unappreciated, lack of acceptance of a situation, or unmet needs. Some people may also experience anger when they're hurt.
Scientists have identified a specific region of the brain called the amygdala, as the part of the brain that processes fear, triggers anger, and motivates us to act.
As you become angry your body's muscles tense up. Inside your brain, neurotransmitter chemicals known as catecholamines are released causing you to experience a burst of energy lasting up to several minutes. This burst of energy is behind the common angry desire to take immediate protective action.
We experience anger when the 'anger circuit' in our brain is stimulated. Anger is just a group of cells in our brain that have been triggered and we have the power to choose to act out or not. It only takes 90 seconds for that circuit to settle down.
