The Hidden Benefits of Cursing, Negativity, and Gossip
What you think of as your worst qualities can have some surprising upsides.
By Melinda Wenner
O, The Oprah Magazine | From the April 2010 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine 
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The old thinking: Getting angry is unhealthy because it raises blood pressure (hence expressions like "that makes my blood boil"). The new wisdom: As long as your anger problems aren't chronic, getting mad when you face an unfair situation can actually buffer stress. According to Jennifer Lerner, PhD, director of the Harvard Decision Science Laboratory, outrage stems from feeling wronged. Reacting with controlled anger rather than runaway anxiety releases less of the body's stress hormone cortisol—too much of which has been linked to bone loss, depression, and obesity. Is celebrity gossip bad for your health? |
