Question: Can anger or stress affect your physical health?

Emily Mattacola answered on 11 Nov 2019:

Yes, definitely. Stress can be really bad for your physical health when it becomes chronic, which essentially means when it lasts a long time (usually more than 3 months). Stress causes changes in your body which can cause wear and tear on your organs and on your immune system. Think of stress as your body operating at full capacity; it can only do this for a really short period of time before it gets exhausted. In particular, there is a stress hormone called cortisol that we know is bad for your physical health. Cortisol suppresses the immune system, which is why you’re more likely to get a cold when you’re revising for your exams! Stress is also bad for your health because it causes you to behave differently. In particular, you’re less likely to do things like eat enough fruit and veg or exercise when you’re super stressed, and more likely to do things such as eat junk food, or smoke or drink alcohol. All of these things will have negative consequences for your health in the long run if you do them for too long.

Anger and hostility is also known to act in a really similar way to stress, as it operates via similar mechanisms. Anger is known to be particularly bad for your heart health, meaning that you could be more likely to have a heart attack, for example, if you’re already chronically stressed and then experience extreme anger.