Who hangs on to anger, and who lets it go?

We know that everybody gets angry, however not everyone deals with their anger in their same way. Some people repress it, others suppress it, while only about 10% express their anger openly. Still, who hangs on longer to their anger, and who finds it easier to let it go?

 

It is especially hard for young people to let go of anger. As people age, they grow to be more tolerant, so they get angry less often and don't hold on to it as long. 

Through various surveys, it has been established that men experience more intense anger, while women hold on to their anger much longer. Generally, women tend to do a "slow burn" when they get mad, so their anger lasts considerably longer, and more often than not, they don't even admit they're angry

Minority groups have a higher tendency to suppress their anger. In a hierarchical society, where power is generally concentrated at the top, anger rarely flows upward, while those at the bottom of the pyramid are more angry and frustrated.

Needless to mention, the duration of the anger is directly related to its intensity. The more intense your anger is, the harder it is to let it go. While letting go of frustrations or mild anger is fairly easy, rage is a different matter altogether, and lasts considerably longer.

A person who intellectualizes his anger, think it and rethink it to exhaustion, will intensify it even more and hold on to it much longer than a person who just gets upset. Intelligence is a great asset, but don't let it get in the way of constructive anger expression.

Introverts, avoiders, dependent or codependent personalities tend to move away from conflict and any emotional discomfort. They're afraid to experience or express anger, and their fear may be either a fear of confrontation, or of losing a relationship on which they depend. 

Highly aggressive personalities, those who always seem to move against the world, also hang on to their anger. They remain angry for a longer period of time in order to satisfy their aggressive style of dealing with the world.

Depressive people have an even harder time letting go of their anger. If you cannot express your anger directly at its source, you're more likely to either sit on it or turn it on yourself. Also, people suffering from depression often lack energy, and expressing anger requires energy. 

Deeply religious people often seem to let go of their anger much easier. Convinced that there's a higher power that will take care of it all, they don't struggle as much with anger.

Bottom line, all people get angry once in a while, but we all react in different ways to stress factors, and cope differently with our difficulties. On average, a normal adult gets angry about one or two times a week, but the duration ad intensity varies from one person to another. Things can only be generalized up to a point, but in the end, each individual deals with his anger in his own way. If you would like to learn more, check: http://www.best-studentloans.com/.