Study Shows the Upside of Anger

[The Straight Story]

Study Shows the Upside of Anger (3/27/2008)

Here's a maxim from the "duh" department: People typically prefer to feel emotions that are pleasant, like excitement, and avoid those that are unpleasant, like anger.

But a new study appearing in the April issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, says this may not always be the case. Psychologists Maya Tamir and Christopher Mitchell of Boston College, and James Gross of Stanford University tested whether people prefer to experience emotions that are potentially useful, even when they are unpleasant to experience.

The authors wanted to examine whether individuals are motivated to increase their level of anger when they expect to complete a confrontational task, where anger might enhance performance. They told the study participants that they will either play a computer game that is confrontational (Soldier of fortune -- a first person shooter game where killing enemies is your primary goal) or one that is not confrontational ("Diner Dash"-- a game in which players guide a waitress serving customers). They were then asked to rate the extent to which they would like to engage in different activities before playing the game.

The researchers found that participants preferred activities that were likely to make them angry (e.g., listening to anger-inducing music, recalling past events in which they were angry) when they expected to perform the confrontational task. In contrast, participants preferred more pleasant activities when they expected to perform a non-confrontational task.

With this preference established, the researchers wanted to examine whether these inclinations to increase anger improved performance. They randomly assigned participants to either the angry or excited emotion induction (or a neutral condition) and then had them play the confrontational and a non-confrontational computer games.

As expected, angry participants performed better than others in the confrontational game by successfully killing more enemies. However, angry participants did not perform better than others in the non-confrontational game, which involved serving customers.

http://www.brainmysteries.com/research/Study_Shows_the_Upside_of_Anger.asp

Something about this reminds me of GDP...

[skooooo]

1. I get so tired of people acting like scientific studies are useless.

Maybe to you and I there is a "Duh" factor here. That's not the point. When sociologists or scientists need to prove something, they have to show they have built their hypothesis on established facts. That's why these kinds of studies ARE important. They can't just assume because something seems like it would make sense, that they can build a premise or theory around it.

So the DUH is on us, not them.

[The Straight Story]

4. I didn't say how I felt about it either way

Just mentioned it reminded me of GDP :)

[skooooo]

5. The first thing in your post is reference to a "duh" factor...

on edit: oh i see that is part of the article. my bad

[The Straight Story]

13. I think it might be interesting as well

to see (or ask) what kind of music people listen to while playing the games they discussed. I know the people in GDP listen to death metal music while posting for example :)

I like most studies, I do think some are a tad redundant though.

[sam sarrha]

2. this just Psycho-Science... not relative to anything. anger is usually inappropriate an ineffective

anger is addictive, neurotic behavior in a civilized society, nothing more than immature emotional tantrums.

why do so many people get court ordered anger management counseling, why is this country leading the world in gun related deaths/murder.

it is time to stop the bullshit.. get a grip on reality.. learn to meditate, dissociate negative destructive emotions from the problem solving process

hell, a lot of the people i work with have no problem solving skills at all.. fix the schools quick..

i was a juvenile parole officer, i had to regularly endure the psycho babble of "specialists" who admitted they were rarely effective at their jobs.. i taught meditation and had miraculous results.

[skooooo]

3. How do you know this research won't be useful in the long run?

What kind of world am I living in where people can't even imagine that something beyond their own immediate understanding might have value?

[sam sarrha]

8. there is no hate involved in shooter video games.. it is a problem solving game, sorry but i have

pretty some pretty lame papers, from some pretty lame people who should have never been allowed to counsel people in need..one was a very disturbed sado masochistic person that got his degree torturing small animals to insanity..

i play video games, and there is no hate involved, if there is the individual brought some problems, no general assumptions can be made with this that i can see

i was a research biologist.. i took Vapona off the market it had been approved with bullshit science, and was very dangerous. i know how people set up tests to get the conclusion they want.. to curry favor for more.. this just sounds lame, what was the control.?

i am just questioning their method.. i dont think it proved anything.

[Edweird]

7. Haven't done any REAL work, then huh?

The adrenaline and testosterone that anger releases helps those of us that actually *WORK* get the job done.
For accountants or computer programmers or others who can't be bothered with physical exertion it's probably counterproductive and unhealthy. But for some of us that extra energy makes all the difference in the world. And, quite frankly, I find it cathartic. It's free therapy.

[sam sarrha]

9. i am aware of the process.. what you are talking about is "Stress" activated 'energy/motivation'

the article is referring to "Anger" produced adrenoline..

Adrenaline is VERY counter productive.. it causes the blood vessels to constrict in the extremities, and pool blood in the abdomen, reducing the flow of blood to the brain.. reducing the IQ approximately 20 points. and hardening the arteries and heart valves

i don't believe you actually mean you work better when angry.. i think you are confusing another process, or you could benefit learning a different method of focus..

[riverdeep]

11. Adrenaline and anger have their place.

Think about how these traits evolved. They evolved long before higher cortical functions. In the early days, we were pretty much a series of if/then statements. If someone is stealing your food, you brace for confrontation. There wasn't long term thinking involved, we didn't have that capacity.

Today, we have the ability to exercise more control over ourselves (but it's still difficult). Yet, these qualities can still be useful for those in ordinary consciousness, because decisions in times of crises often have to be made quickly. Imagine walking down the sidewalk in your neighborhood, peaceful as can be, and you see a man hitting an old lady in someone's front yard. Lot's of options available. But many people might choose, in an instinctual way, to confront. Adrenaline, and even anger, can be useful here.

To sum up, for short durations, the above mentioned qualities can serve a purpose. As a way of life, it can be very destructive.

[susankh4]

20. No, it's not ALWAYS counterproductive....

I use it to boost my exercise and, hence, wt. loss.

Just have to know how to turn it off.... which is not hard for me.

[alarimer]

18. Anger can be very useful.

If you have been wronged, you are entirely justified in being angry and doing something about it. Not beating them up necessarily but, at work, I would complain to my boss if someone did something to me and start the ball rolling on dismissal procedures, if that was called for.

And there are other situations. When someone is bullying you, it is normal to be angry and okay to fight back.

[riverdeep]

6. Why do they assume anger should be categorized under 'unpleasant'.

Many people experience anger in a strangely pleasant way. That may seem odd, but they experience it as a surge of power and righteousness. They may very well apologize afterward, but during it, they feel invincible. I know people who enjoy getting angry. It's an unpleasant emotion for those around them, but not necessarily for the ones experiencing it.

Anger is also an emotion that's interpreted differently by gender. It's often looked at favorably when displayed by men. People say men aren't controlled by their emotions, but anger is an emotion and men display it a lot. Largely to show they're tough. Women displaying anger are not looked at as favorably, the b word is applied, and are considered hysterical. I'd say anger is looked at more favorably in both genders than crying, however, by a wide margin.

[sam sarrha]

10. anger is a destructive/ discursive emotion, very adictive.. i do not in any way respect anyone who

uses anger in social/civil endevers.. they are called bully's.. mentally ill.

[lonestarnot]

12. You haven't been to any protests in which Joe Arpio is arresting people for driving while brown then

? If that doesn't make you angry, YOU are mentally ill.

[sam sarrha]

14. anger does not effect your enemy, but it will put you in an early grave.. that is mentally ill.

[lonestarnot]

16. Better pissed off than pissed on.

[sam sarrha]

17. do recognize the Apriori loop you are in... check out meditation..

[lonestarnot]

22. I know how to meditate. And anger has motivated me for 7 years + now. I'll keep mine thank you as

it was given to me for a reason. And Apriori loop just sounds loopy.

[alarimer]

19. So you let people walk all over you then?

THAT's what happens if you "meditate" instead of taking action against someone who wronged you.

[distantearlywarning]

23. I like this response.

:-)

[raccoon]

21. Wonder why, since women have been socialized to cry and men to show anger?

:sarcasm:

Which is why many women cry when they're angry. I used to.

[lovuian]

15. Anger is a Motivator many people like Nero used it

as well as Bush