Study finds that anger is more damaging to health than sadness in the elderly

According to new research, old age can be more harmful to health than sadness because it increases inflammation.

Experts say that the loss of loved ones and increased loneliness are wreaking havoc on the health of the elderly in an underestimated way.

However, in a new study from Concordia University, researchers say that anger is just as common, dangerous and ignored, despite the inflammation that exacerbates heart disease, arthritis and cancer.

"As most people get older, they simply can not do the activities they used to do, or they risk losing their spouse or losing their physical mobility and they can get angry," said Meaghan A Barlow. , MA, lead author of the book. study, which was published in Psychology and Aging.

"Our study showed that anger can lead to the development of chronic diseases, unlike sadness."

Barlow and his co-authors examined whether anger and sadness contributed to inflammation, an immune response of the body to perceived threats, such as infection or tissue damage.

While inflammation in general helps protect the body and helps healing, long-lasting inflammation can lead to chronic diseases in the elderly, according to the authors.

The researchers collected and analyzed data from 226 people aged 59 to 93 in Montreal.

They grouped participants at an early age, between 59 and 79 years old, or advanced, by 80 years and older.

For one week, participants completed short questionnaires about their sadness or anger. The authors also measured inflammation from blood samples and asked participants if they were suffering from age-related chronic diseases.

"We found that daily anger was linked to higher levels of inflammation and chronic disease in people aged 80 and older, but not in younger seniors," said Carsten Wrosch, co – author of the study, also from Concordia University. "The sadness, however, was not related to inflammation or chronic disease."

Sadness can help seniors cope with challenges such as age-related physical and cognitive decline, as it can help them get out of goals that are no longer achievable, Barlow said.

This study showed that all negative emotions are not inherently bad and that they may be beneficial in certain circumstances, she explained.

"Anger is a stimulating emotion that can help motivate people to pursue their life goals," Barlow said. "Younger seniors may be able to use this anger as a fuel to overcome life's difficulties and the aging-related losses that will keep them healthier. Anger becomes problematic for adults once they reach the age of 80, because it is at that point that many suffer irreversible losses and that some of the pleasures of life become inaccessible.

The authors suggested that education and therapy could help older people reduce their anger by regulating their emotions or by proposing better coping strategies to handle the inevitable changes that accompany aging.

"If we better understand what negative emotions are harmful, not harmful or even beneficial to the elderly, we can teach them how to deal with losses in a healthy way," Barlow said. "It can help them get rid of their anger."