An interesting study from psychologists at the University of California at Santa Barbara shows anger can actually help someone think more clearly. Usually, you think of an angry person as someone who isn't thinking much at all, leading to violent and/or rash behavior. While this can certainly be true in extreme cases, it turns out that simply getting a little "peeved" can improve your analytical thinking.
The researchers studied two groups of college students. The first group they riled up by making the students write about a past experience in which they were very angry. If that didn't work, then they would ask the students what their goals and dreams were, only to shoot them down with harsh and negative comments. Nice scientists, huh? Luckily for the second group, they weren't angered at all.
Then, the students were shown two different arguments designed to convince them that college students have good spending habits. One argument was very strong and backed with facts from reputable sources, while the other was filled with loosely opinionated comments and unsupported claims.
The angry students saw right through the weak argument and dismissed it as irrelevant, but the calm group was equally convinced by both arguments.
Their findings, detailed in this month’s issue of the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, suggest that anger helps people focus on the cues that matter most to making a rational decision and ignore cues that are irrelevant to the task of decision-making.
This could be because anger is designed to motivate people to take action, and that it actually helps people to take the right action.
So, what does this mean for you? Within reason, instead of waiting for you and your spouse or you and your co-worker to cool down during a disagreement, you should try and solve it then. You both will be thinking more clearly and are actually more likely to come to an ideal resolution.
Of course, this is a very thin line, and you need to use your best judgment in each situation. Sometimes, it really is better to follow the age-old rule of counting to 10 and revisiting the subject after you've cooled down.
What is your experience with minor arguments with your spouse or co-worker? Do you usually walk away until you're both calm, or do you try and solve the problem right then?
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