Anger isn't good for your health. It spikes your heart rate, exacerbating heart conditions and anxiety. It leaves an ugly residue, a sensation of unease and aggression and it can lead to violence against others or oneself.
But in the west, we have an uneasy relationship with this powerful emotion, said Owen Flanagan, PhD, co-director of the Center of Comparative Philosophy at Duke University and speaker at the annual Meng-Wu lecture hosted by the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education last week.
In the United States and Europe, some anger is considered justified, even necessary for healing after one is wronged, Flanagan said. It's natural, just a part of our constitution. An appropriate amount of anger is expected, a sign that you care. Flipping out because your barrista took too long making your latte? Probably not okay. But yelling at a driver who rear-ended you while texting? Certainly.
Not in Asia, Flanagan said. There, in accordance with Buddhist traditions, anger is right up there with hatred as the worst emotion, something that should be eliminated as soon as it arises.
Flanagan said he and other academic colleagues posed a question to the Dalai Llama several years ago: If you find yourself in a public place with a very bad person, like Hitler, before the atrocities have started, what should you do? Westerners would say anger was AOK, as was perhaps even murder. After conferring with his colleagues, the Dalai Llama said yes, murdering Hitler would be justified to prevent a very bad karmic causal chain. But anger? Absolutely not.
One could argue that even Hitler's behavior was a byproduct of his genes, his upbringing, the surrounding society, Flanagan told the audience.
Flanagan said he still hasn't figured out his own views toward anger. "Anger is a destructive emotion, but it might be a necessary emotion. I'm still not sure about that."
But in the U.S., we don't always live in accordance with our own traditions, Flanagan said. "We give ourselves sloppy permissions all over the place to be very angry people. That's something that's just not good."
To counter anger, Flanagan offers several tips, drawn from both western and eastern traditions. First, embrace an emotion that is incompatible with anger, such as gratitude. Or reflect on your own insignificance and the transitory nature of the harm: This too will pass. "Astronomy is a good antidote to taking yourself too seriously," Flanagan said.
In a longer term, Seneca suggests that it helps to "live among people who teach the children that anger is always bad."
But is it even possible to completely eliminate anger? Some argue no, even babies express a form of frustration or discontent that could be a sign of inner anger. Or, we could all be conditioned by society, learning to be angry as soon as we're born.
Previously: Bright lights breed stronger emotions, study finds, Is it possible to control one's emotions? and Study suggests emotions may trump mind in matters of self-control while meditating
Photo by katmary
