Research: Anger is a blessing. (About time)

Yes!  More new research moving in my direction.  If I live long enough, all my flaws are sure to be corrected.  I’m cursed with a short-fuse genetic construct.  It has created any number of personal and professional “situations.”  So, when I came across this recent post from PSYBLOG: The Upside of Anger – Six Psychological Benefits of Getting Mad – I decided to cut myself just a bit of slack as this may just be a blessing (when used in appropriate situations and in moderation).  I was particularly surprised at Benefit #2 (Research finds that Angry people more optimistic).  Here’s are few excerpts from the post:

Here are the 6 benefits:

1. Anger is a motivating force (“we want it more when we’re angry” – can make you feel strong and powerful and help push you on to get what you want in face of problems and barriers)
2. Angry people are more optimistic (Angry and happy people tend to be more optimistic.  In contrast those who fear were more pessimistic about the future)
3. Anger can benefit relationships (Hiding anger in intimate relationships can be detrimental.  Anger if justifiable and aimed at finding a solution rather than venting can benefit & strengthen relationships)
4. Anger provides self-insight (Anger provides insights to own faults which can motivate self-change and/or positive outcome)
5. Anger Reduces Violence (Although anger often precedes physical violence,  it can also reduce violence as it’s a strong social signal that a situation needs to be resolved.  The other party is motivated to try to placate the angry party)
6. Anger as a Negotiation Strategy (Can be legitimate way to get what you want and negotiation participants made larger concessions and few demands of an angry person)

…Anger can reduce violence, benefit relationships, promote optimism and be a useful motivating force, but it can just as easily be destructive..

…Used right, anger can be a handy tool. But use with caution as people find anger the most difficult of all the emotions to control.