Anger More Harmful Than Sadness For Older Adults: Study

Anger is more harmful than sadness for older adults and it can cause health complications -- probably exaggerated inflammation that is related to chronic sicknesses like cardiovascular disease, inflammatory disease, and cancer, say researchers. The study, printed within the journal Science and Aging, shows that anger will cause the development of chronic illnesses whereas sadness failed to.

“Sadness could facilitate older seniors adjust to challenges such as age-related physical and psychological feature declines because it will facilitate them disengage from goals that aren't any longer attainable”, aforesaid study leads author Meaghan A Barlow from the Concordia University in the United State of America.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 226 older adults ages fifty-nine to ninety-three from Montreal, Canada and sorted participants as being in early old age (59 to 79 years old) or advanced maturity (80 years or older). Throughout the study, participants completed questionnaires regarding how angry or sad they felt.

The analysis examined whether or not anger and sadness contributed to inflammation, the response by the body to perceived threats, like infection or tissue damage. “We found that experiencing anger daily was associated with higher levels of inflammation and chronic health problem for individuals aged 80 or above, however not for younger seniors,” another study author Carsten Wrosch.

“Younger seniors could also be able to use that anger as fuel to beat life’s challenges and rising age-related losses which will keep them healthier”, Barlow added.

The researchers' counsel that education and medical aid may facilitate older adults scale back anger by regulation their emotions or by giving better-coping ways to manage the inevitable changes that accompany ageing.

Also Read: Oral Infections In Childhood May Increase Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases In Adulthood: Study