Epinephrine and non-epinephrine are the main chemicals which play the vital role in chemistry behind anger. In the absence of these chemicals, the body wouldn't be able to deliver off any reactions while you are in anger or in any other emotion that has involvement of adrenaline.
Epinephrine which is also known as adrenaline, is a chemical compound with formula (HO) 2C6H3CH (OH) CH2NHCH3 and is released while becoming angry. Epinephrine is among the chemicals that are released by the adrenal gland when an individual experiences anger or any other form of stress.
Adrenalin is known as 'fight or flight' hormone as it creates a specific response useful for situations of stress, anger or fear.
Neurobiology & Anger
Similar to other addictions like gambling, extreme sports, or even drugs like cocaine the brain releases a dopamine reward when you're angry which clouds your judgment and can lead to terrifying consequences.
Impulsive aggression is also said to be characterized by low cerebrospinal fluid levels of serotonin. Lower serotonin levels in the brain are also thought to be linked to poor orbitofrontal cortex function, which is in turn seen to be present in people with antisocial behavior.
The findings suggest that when serotonin levels are low, it may be more difficult for the prefrontal cortex to control emotional responses to anger that are generated within the amygdala. Using a personality questionnaire, they also determined which individuals have a natural tendency to behave aggressively.
Feelings of anger and hostility have been most commonly associated with elevated levels of cortisol.
Under some circumstances, oxytocin may increase aggression by enhancing reactivity to provocation and simultaneously lowering perceptions of danger that normally inhibit many women from retaliating. There is some evidence that high levels of estradiol and progesterone are associated with low levels of aggression.
Anger triggers a release of cortisol, and one of the results of cortisol is an increase in the uptake of calcium ions through the cell membranes of your neurons (aka brain cells). This increased uptake of calcium ions causes your nerve cells to fire too frequently and can lead to their deaths.
Our lower backs store most of our unexpressed anger. Many people develop severe and debilitating pain in the lumbar region of the back. Chronic stress activates the sympathetic nervous system that puts pressure on the spinal cord.
Haven't eaten? Feeling a bit tetchy? Your serotonin levels may be running low. Fluctuating levels of the brain chemical serotonin, often brought on when someone hasn't eaten or is stressed, affect brain regions that enable people to regulate anger, say UK scientists.
Because testosterone helps regulate your mood, “you can fall in one direction where your testosterone is too low, so you're irritable and cranky,” Dahl says. “You can also fall in the other direction, where your testosterone is too high and you're irritable and cranky.”
It has been known that a serotonergic system is associated with many psychiatric disorders. The serotonergic system also predominates on the etiopathogenesis of two important endophenotypes: impulsivity and aggression.
Males with low testosterone are not automatically angrier than those with normal or high testosterone. There is however a predisposition for people with low testosterone to be more irritable and have less robust emotional buffers. Testosterone is associated with better mood and greater confidence.
Dopamine: Often called the "happy hormone," dopamine results in feelings of well-being. A primary driver of the brain's reward system, it spikes when we experience something pleasurable. Praised on the job? You'll get a dopamine hit.
A person or situation somehow makes us feel defeated or powerless, and reactively transforming these helpless feelings into anger instantly provides us with a heightened sense of control. . . . In a sense, [anger] is every bit as much a drug as alcohol or cocaine.
Keeping things simple: Cortisol is the body's main stress hormone (our natural “flight or fight” response). When it's too high, it increases heart rate and blood pressure—triggering negative emotions—and decreases serotonin, the hormone that makes us happy.
The adrenaline-caused arousal that occurs during anger lasts a very long time (many hours, sometimes days), and lowers our anger threshold, making it easier for us to get angry again later on. Though we do calm down, it takes a very long time for us to return to our resting state.
Dopamine also allows us to stay calm under pressure and not lose our temper. People with low dopamine snap or explode easily or become aggressive. Then they may feel bad about it later. At the extreme end, chronically low dopamine is associated with Parkinson's disease.
Feb 28, 2023. Dopamine and serotonin are molecules that send signals throughout the body; these chemicals affect how we feel. When dopamine is released in our brain, we feel a sense of temporary pleasure. Serotonin, while similar to dopamine, creates a long-lasting feeling of happiness or well-being.