03 June,2010 10:32 AM IST | | Agencies
It may contradict common wisdom but getting angry is good for health. The emotion reduces the negative impact of stress, says a new study.
According to the study, anger increases blood flow to that part of the brain which is involved in experiencing positive feelings. The study was conducted by inducing anger in 30 men with a simple laboratory method using 50 recognised phrases intended to aggravate them.
Dailymail.co.uk reports that before and immediately after the experiment, they measured the subjects' heart rate, arterial tension, stress hormones testosterone and cortisol while scanning their brains.
Neus Herrero of the University of Valencia and his colleagues, said their findings, published in the journal Hormones and Behaviour, showed the left hemisphere of the brain became more stimulated.
Herrero said the left frontal region of the brain is involved in experiencing positive emotions, while the right is more related to negative emotions. The left frontal area also triggers 'closeness' which can generate happiness, whereas the right provokes withdrawal, fear and sadness.
