Decoding the Science of ANGER.

Are you in control of this explosive emotion? New research can help.

Quiz

Circle the answer for each question that best describes your reaction. Then turn the page to learn more about anger.

1 Your friend owes you money and hasn't paid you back. You're angry--a signal that

a. your friend's a jerk.

b. you feel taken advantage of.

c. you care too much about money.

2 A coach chews you out for fouling a player on the basketball court. Your best response:

a. Yell back at the coach.

b. Acknowledge the error and get on with the game.

c. Report the coach to school officials.

3 You borrow your older sister's CD player and break it. You apologize, but she fires below-the-belt insults. How do you deal with it?

a. Ignore her. Anger makes many people lose control.

b. Take your own anger out on your younger brother.

c. Forgive her, but let her know the insults hurt. Being angry is no excuse for hurtful behavior.

4. You have a date who's 30 minutes late for the third time. You're steaming. You should

a. let it rip. It's better to be honest and let your anger out.

b. keep your emotions to yourself. It's better never to show angry feelings.

c. say something like, "Look, I'm unhappy about this situation. What can we do about it?"

5 Since your friend's parents' divorce, he seems explosively angry at times. His behavior may be a sign of

a. low self-esteem.

b. depression.

c. relief.

6 The athletes least likely to express anger, both on and off the field, rink, or court, are

a. football players.

b. ice hockey players.

c. tennis players.

7 New research shows teens may not handle anger as well as adults because the teenage brain is still "growing."

a. True

b. False

* Compare your answers with what the experts say on the next page. Then score yourself.

Answers

1B

You feel used.

People often assume that anger, one of the strongest human emotions, is negative or ugly. But anger is necessary for humans to survive and can be a valuable force. "Anger is a signal worth listening to," says Harriet Lerner, psychologist and author of The Dance of Anger (Harper Perennial, 1985). "It can be a signal your rights are being violated or your needs are not being met."

Human emotions are genetically hardwired into the brain, and new evidence suggests that anger or sadness triggers sudden changes in both brain and body chemistry. In babies and children, angry tears can indicate hunger, tiredness, or neglect. For teens, the challenge is to listen carefully to their anger and understand what it means--before they act, says Lerner. For instance, anger can mobilize you to talk to a friend about a debt.

2B

Get on with the game.

It's hard to receive someone else's anger or criticism, and your first response may be to retaliate. But firing insults or yelling back can lead to dire consequences--in this case, you might get thrown off the team.

Anger often moves people out of rational thinking into immature action, explains Dr. Bruce Perry, chief of psychiatry at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston: "Anger makes us all dumber. We're so absorbed in the moment, we don't think of what the consequences will be later." In sports, particularly, it's critical for players to manage their emotions in order to achieve peak performance.

But sometimes people in authority take advantage of their power. Last summer, University of Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight was fired for verbally and physically harassing players and students. The university has adopted a "zero tolerance" policy toward abusive behavior. If someone in authority is constantly abusive, it may be necessary to report him or her to the proper officials.

3C

Forgive her and tell her the insults hurt.

Your sister has the right to be annoyed, but needs to learn how to control her emotions. "Learning to manage anger is a developed skill--like learning to ride a bike--that leads to psychological maturity," says Perry. You learn problem-solving through trial and error, but the mature response to frustration is to talk about how you feel, not fire below-the-belt insults. If you're on the receiving end, keep your cool and don't return verbal jabs.

One common end-result of feeling angry: people "pass it on," often talking out frustration on those who are weaker, like a younger sibling, Perry explains.

4C

Talk it out.

Letting anger out can be necessary--when you're physically threatened, for instance--or disastrous. Researchers find that continually venting anger can destroy relationships, increase anxiety, lower self-esteem, and cause depression. "People who are quick to anger are quick to see insult," says social psychologist Carol Tavris, author of Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion (Touchstone, 1989).

When others treat you badly, speak up for yourself without hurling accusations. Instead of saying, "You're a creep for being late," respond with, "I get really annoyed when you don't show up on time."

5B

Depression

Explosive anger can be a sign of depression, especially for males, says Daniel Kindlon, co-author of Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys (Ballantine, 1999). In American culture, males tend to bury feelings of hurt, sadness, or hopelessness beneath anger, rather than express the feelings openly. "Even when someone dies, sadness and depression in boys often shows up as anger," says Kindlon. Sometimes hopelessness and depression lead to violence. Girls, too, can become angry when they're depressed.

6C

Tennis players

Research shows that high school athletes who play contact sports are quicker to express anger both on and off the field than athletes who play non-contact sports, like tennis or golf.

7A

True

Until recently, researchers thought the brain matures by age 12. Not so, claims new research: the teen brain is an ongoing "construction site."

SCORING

Give yourself 1 point for every correct answer.

6-7: Congratulations. You know anger facts from fiction.

4-5: Pretty good. Your understanding of anger may help you out in a jam.

0-3: Not so good. Try rereading the answers to get a better grip on the power of anger.

"I blew up at anything."

--Jonathan Crean, 16, Atglen, Pennsylvania

It began as a friendly game of ice hockey, and time after time Jonathan Crean fired the puck past his best friend Jeff to score. Frustrated, Jeff called Jonathan a cheater. Jonathan exploded. "I knew I was going to hurt him bad," he says. "I hit him with my stick and broke his arm."

Jonathan was famously short-tempered: "I used to get into fights almost every day in school." But breaking his friend's arm two years ago was a turning point. Jeff's family charged Jonathan with assault. A judge ordered him to do community service and transfer to Impact at Human Services, a program for troubled teens in Downingtown, Pennsylvania--a school that includes intense counseling. "I learned where my bottled-up anger was coming from," Jonathan says. "My dad and my step-dad have tempers. Now I exercise until I get the anger all out."

Jonathan regrets hurting Jeff and sent a letter of apology two months after the incident. He's not surprised that he never heard back. As Jonathan says, "I don't know how I can repay breaking his arm."

How the Brain "GROWS UP"

Parietal lobes, seat of visual/spatial ability, lose gray matter through the age of 16

Frontal lobes, which control planning and judgment, are still immature

CHILD TO ADOLESCENT

Subcortical regions change, perhaps as habits are laid down

In the frontal lobes, unused circuits get pruned back well into the 20s

ADOLESCENT TO ADULT

No doubt about it: teen brains and adult brains aren't the same, new research claims. "Brain maturation continues into the teen years and even the 20s" says neurologist (brain scientist) Jay Giedd at the National Institute of Mental Health.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Giedd used brain scans to show that the corpus callosum, the cable of nerves connecting the brain's two halves, keeps growing into adulthood. Scientists think the structure plays a vital role in self-awareness and intelligence. And the brain's frontal lobes, which manage functions such as self-control and regulating emotions, change dramatically between puberty and adulthood. The lobes' gray matter, or tissue containing various cells and nerve branches, experiences a growth spurt through age 11 or 12, then shrinks into the 20s; the brain "prunes" or cuts back on nerve connections for efficiency.

What does this mean to you? "Teens have the power to determine their own brain development," Giedd says. "Whether you do art, sports, or videogames, your brain is figuring out what it needs to survive--and adapts accordingly."

The Science of Anger * Life Science: Emotions * The Brain

Cross-Curricular Connection

Social Studies: Have students report on a recently publicized incident of local or national violence. Compile these incidents and try to examine the reasons behind such violent behavior.

Did you Know?

* In 1995, the FBI reported that 27 percent of all violent crime is a result of family violence--and children are often witnesses or victims. Consequently, children are subjected to feelings of humiliation, frustration, and anger--and in turn perpetuate the cycle of violence.

* Researchers estimate that by age 18, the average American child has viewed 200,000 acts of violence on television. Some studies suggest that overexposure to violence increases aggression and antisocial behavior in children and teens.

* Recent research reveals that individuals with a lower threshold for anger tend to have reduced levels of serotonin--a neurotransmitter thought to be involved in the regulation of emotion.

National Science Education Standards

Grades 5-8: personal health * regulation and behavior * structure and function in living systems

Grades 9-12: personal and community health * behavior of organisms * science as a human endeavor

Resources

"Why Everyone Is So Short-tempered," USA Today, July 18, 2000, p. 1A

"A Year After Columbine," The Pew Research Center, April 19, 2000

"What Makes Boys Violent? We Do." USA Weekend, April 14-16, 2000

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING, p. TE4

The Science of Anger

1. a 2. d. 3. d. 4. c. 5. d

The Science of Anger

Directions: Circle the correct answer from the list below each question.

1. Anger is a signal that:

a. your rights are being violated.
b. people are jerks.
c. life is unfair.
d. all of the above

2. Another person's anger easily escalates if you:

a. yell at someone.
b. hurl insults.
>. hit someone.
d. all of the above

3. Athletes who play what sport are quicker to
   anger:

a. racketball
b. baseball
c. ping pong
d. football

4. Human brains are fully developed by the time
   you reach:

a. kindergarten
b. adolescence
c. teen years
d. the brain never stops growing

5. Explosive anger can be a sign of:

a. sadness
b. hopelessness
c. depression
d. all of the above

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