Fotolia_3461069_XS (2)Research published in the journal Brain, Behaviour, Immunity (Feb, 2008; e published ahead of print), looked at wound healing in 98 subjects and its relationship to anger. The subjects took a battery of psychological tests. They were then given minor burns on the forearm and monitored for eight days. None of the volunteers smoked, took prescription drugs or excessively drank caffeinated drinks. None of the volunteers were extremely overweight or underweight.

People who had trouble controlling their anger healed more slowly than those who did not. Those who got angry and expressed it in outbursts of rage and those who internalized their anger actually did not have this reduction in healing time. People who become angry, try to control it, but are unsuccessful, experience longer healing times. This third group produced higher levels of cortisol.

There is a connection between anger and the adrenal hormone, cortisol. Cortisol suppresses certain chemicals necessary for healing. The cortisol connection may mean that stress, in general, can have an effect on healing.