The news story this blog post is based on claims people who get angry easier have certain genes.
There really might be genes associated with anger, but who cares ? What are you going to do if you discover anger is related to a gene? There is nothing you can do. Genes are microscopic things that cannot be seen, much less changed in some way. Of what use is it to society to claim that people with specific genes will get angry easier? Perform a gene test on every member of the populace and kill the ones who have the gene?
The study singled out Westerners as getting angry easier because the indicated genes are more prevalent among Westerners. That is stoopid.
Westerners get angry easier because they have weak Yin. They have weak Yin because they do not believe in Yin Yang Theory or have an equivalent theory of their own. The bodily benefits that come from knowledge of Yin yang Theory do not accrue to Westerners.
Claiming Westerners get angry easier because they have weak Yin is a useful statement to make because there is a large body of knowledge that is based on hundreds of years of experience that can be used to correct any Yin deficiencies in the body.
Isolation of a gene called DARPP-32 helps explain why some people fly into a rage at the slightest provocation, while others can remain calm.
More than 800 people were asked to fill in a questionnaire designed to study how they handle anger.
The German researchers also administered a DNA test to determine which of three versions of the DARPP-32 gene people were carrying.
The gene affects levels of dopamine, a brain chemical linked to anger and aggression.
Those who had the “TT” or “TC” versions of the gene portrayed significantly more anger than those with the “CC” version.
The study, from the University of Bonn, also found that those who display more anger have less grey matter in the amygdala, a part of the brain that helps keep our emotions balanced.
Martin Reuter, one of the researchers, who is a TC, said: “In other words, they are not able to control their feelings as well as those without the mutation.
“I am not an angry person but I can get angry if it is important.”
TT and TC versions are much more common in Western populations, with the researchers suggesting that demonstrations of anger can help people get ahead in life.
“High degrees of anger are of course of low social desirability but a certain amount of dominance-related behaviour helps to assert position in a social hierarchy,” the researchers added.
Reporting in the journal Behavioural Brain Research, they added that genetics only account for around half of our disposition towards anger, while DARPP-32 is one of several genes involved.
Earlier this year it was reported that showing anger rather than repressing emotions is the key to a successful professional and personal life. The study by the Harvard Study of Adult Development found those who keep a check on their frustrations are at least three times more likely to admit they have disappointing personal lives and have hit a glass ceiling in their career.
