Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

As a young adult, when I first heard that quote, which is, by the way, often wrongly attributed to

Buddha, I thought it was so wise.

But is anger really poison?

Hello and welcome back to savvy psychologist. I'm your host Dr Jade Wu.

Every week I'll help you meet life's challenges

with evidence-based research,

a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

Today on the show, we look at the science and psychology of anger,

and why it's often a misunderstood emotion.

It turns out that feeling angry is not only okay,

but it can be a motivating force for good.

But back first to this idea of anger being poison. Is it really so? I thought this meant that we should try to never be angry because anger is bad for you.

And science seems to back this up.

Anger has been associated with increased risk of hypertension and worse pain management.

For those with mental health conditions, those who also have pathological levels of anger also have higher levels of

suicidality and self-harm.

Our cultural intuitions match this view of anger too. The internet self-help communities are littered

with quotable advice about anger like if another can easily anger you, it means you are

off balance within yourself.

Or anger doesn't solve anything.

It builds nothing but can destroy everything.

...