How to Prevent Anger’s Damage to Your Brain

EAT CHOCOLATE? –

Dec. 14, 2023 – When I was in college and proudly showed my mother my new Volkswagen, she tearfully said, “How could you? The Germans murdered 33 of our relatives.”

I wanted to say, “Mom, the people who built my car weren’t born then; they aren’t responsible for the sins of their fathers.” But her anger was so immediate and intense that I knew nothing would reduce her hostility toward anything German, from riding in a Volkswagen to eating schnitzel. I didn’t realize the neurological effects of her anger.

Anger is the brain’s reaction to events, ranging from my mother’s response to the horrific deaths of family members to a partner’s fury when not remembering a 25th wedding anniversary. This reaction, and others on the “offense” continuum, start in the amygdala, an almond-shaped bundle of neurons in the brain no bigger than a shelled peanut.

Five million years ago, the amygdala’s “fight or flight” response was essential for survival when velociraptors lurked in the forest, hoping our ancestors would be on the menu for lunch.