Anger Does a Lot More Damage to Your Body Than You Realize 生气对身体的伤害远超你想象
Anger is a normal emotion that everyone feels—few of us stay calm when someone cuts in line. But getting mad too often or for too long can cause health problems in more ways than you think. It doesn’t just hurt our mental health; it’s also damaging to our hearts， brains and gastrointestinal systems， according to some doctors and recent research.
生气是一种人人都会有的正常情绪，当有人插队时，很少有人能保持平静。但是，生气过于频繁或者生气的时间太长都会带来超出你想象的健康问题。一些医生和最近的研究都指出，生气不仅会影响心理健康，还会伤害心脏、大脑和肠胃系统。
Anger can disturb your gastrointestinal system.
生气会扰乱你的肠胃系统。
When someone gets angry， the body’s sympathetic nervous system is activated， which makes blood flow from the gut to major muscles. This slows down movement in the gastrointestinal tract， which can lead to problems like constipation.
In addition， the space in between cells in the lining of the intestines opens up， which allows more food and waste to go in those gaps， creating inflammation that can cause symptoms such as stomach pain and bloating.
当一个人生气时，身体的交感神经系统会被激活，导致血液从肠道流向主要肌肉。这会减缓胃肠道的运动，从而导致便秘等问题。
此外，肠道内衬细胞之间的间隙会扩大，导致更多的食物和体内的废料进入其中，从而产生炎症，并引发胃痛、腹胀等症状。
Anger can harm your brain.
生气会损伤你的大脑功能。
Anger can harm our cognitive functioning， says Joyce Tam， an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. It involves the nerve cells in the prefrontal cortex， the front area of our brain that can affect attention， cognitive control and our ability to manage emotions.
芝加哥拉什大学医学中心精神病学和行为科学助理教授乔伊斯·塔姆说，生气会损伤我们的认知功能。它会影响大脑前额叶的神经细胞，前额叶是大脑的前面区域，负责注意力、认知的控制和管理情绪等。
How can you control anger？
如何控制生气？
First， figure out if you’re angry too much or too often. There’s no hard and fast rule. But you may have cause for concern if you feel angry regularly， or for large part of the day.
Getting mad briefly is different from experiencing long-time anger. If you have an angry conversation or you get upset every now and again， that’s within the normal human experience. When a negative emotion lasts for a long time， when you’re really having a lot more of it and maybe more intensely， that’s where it’s bad for your health.
首先，要弄清楚你是否经常生气或生气的时间太长。对此没有严格的标准，但如果你经常感到生气，或者每天有很大一部分时间都在生气，那就需要注意了。
偶尔生气和长期生气是不同的。偶尔进行一次激烈的对话，或者偶尔感到不高兴，这都是正常的人生经历。但是，当负面情绪持续很长一段时间，或者生气的频率和强度都明显增加时，就会对健康产生负面影响。
A group is looking at whether mental-health treatments， like certain types of talk therapy or breathing exercises， may be able to improve some of the physical problems caused by anger.
Other doctors recommend anger-management strategies. Hypnosis， meditation and mindfulness can help， says the Cleveland Clinic’s Dr Lupe. It’s also important to change the way you respond to anger.
“Slow down your reactions. Try to notice how you feel and slow down your response， and then learn to express it. You also need to make sure you’re not suppressing the feeling， as that can backfire and exacerbate the emotion. Instead of shouting at a family member when you’re angry or throwing something away， say， ‘I am angry because X， Y and Z， and therefore I don’t feel like eating with you now or I need a hug or support，’” suggests Lupe.
一个研究小组正在研究心理健康治疗方法（例如某些类型的谈话疗法或呼吸练习）是否能改善生气引起的某些身体问题。
其他医生推荐生气管理策略。克利夫兰诊所的卢皮博士认为，催眠、冥想和正念练习对调节生气有帮助。改变应对生气的方式也很重要。
卢皮博士建议：“放慢你的反应速度。试着觉察自己的感受，慢一点再做出反应，然后学会表达你的感受。同时，也要确保你没有压抑生气，因为压抑会适得其反，加剧生气的情绪。当你生气的时候，不要对家人大喊大叫或者扔东西。你可以说：‘我因为……生气，所以现在不想和你一起吃饭，或者我需要一个拥抱或支持。’”
Word Bank
activate /'æktɪveɪt/ v. 激活
cognitive /'kɒɡnətɪv/ adj. 认知的；感知的
suppress /sə'pres/ v. 抑制；控制
backfire /'bæk'faɪə（r）/ v. 产生事与愿违的不良后果
exacerbate /ɪɡ'zæsəbeɪt/ v. 使恶化；使加剧