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Post Disclaimer
The information on this website is designed to offer self-care tips and recommendations based on evidence-based research and literature from professionals in each field. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any specific medical condition. Please consult with your healthcare provider before making any health-related decisions.
The environment of hate caused by political differences in the U.S. is marked by intense polarization, where ideological divides are deepened by inflammatory rhetoric, misinformation, and social media amplification. This atmosphere fosters distrust and animosity among citizens, often resulting in personal attacks, social fragmentation, and a breakdown in civil discourse.
This environment strains interpersonal relationships and undermines democratic processes and the ability to address common societal challenges effectively. It also influences harmful thoughts and behaviors, such as the behavior we witnessed on July 13, 2024, with Thomas Matthew Crooks’s assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. The political divide is a contributor to the decline in mental and physical health.
Reversing the adverse effects of this hostile political environment requires us to change how we regulate our emotions and perceptions toward those we disagree with. It’s not the elements within the political climate that are to blame; it is one’s inability to regulate one’s emotional experience and control one’s behavior. We cannot control what other people do or say. Still, we can control our thoughts and attitudes in a way that regulates the harmful emotions experienced in this political environment.
Hate and Anger’s Effects on Mental and Physical Health
We all have the potential to make personal changes that can reverse the hate-fueled political environment we now live in. Changes can be complex but become more accessible with a personalized reason or why that fuels motivation. Viktor Frankl, a well-known psychologist and Holocaust survivor, once said, “Those who have a why to live can bear with almost any how.” Below are several mental and physical effects hate and anger have on the mind and body. In reading this, I hope you can find your why and motivation for change as you review them, then set goals to apply some tips I share at the end of this article, which provide you with a how.
Immune System Functioning
Hormones released when experiencing hatred and anger suppress lymphocytes (immune system white blood cells), allowing infections to progress. Similarly, this decreases the immune system of Natural Killer cells, which are responsible for rapid reaction viruses and diseases. Holding on to this anger or hatred increases the chances of becoming sick. It also exacerbates preexisting illness.
Muscular Growth
Increased anger and hatred shift metabolic hormones, causing lower anabolic levels and increased catabolic levels. Anabolic hormones help maintain and increase muscle growth, while catabolic prevent muscle growth and elicit muscular deterioration. If muscular strength and endurance are essential to you, you are getting in the way of your fitness goals if you continue to choose to hold on to political anger and hatred.
Focus, Memory, Decision-Making, Cognitive Strength
You value having a good memory, making wise decisions, passing exams, or any other areas of your life that require cognitive strength. Changing how you perceive and deal with the political environment will benefit you. A properly functioning pre-frontal cortex enables efficient cognitive function. The cocktail of hormones and neurotransmitters released when we choose to hold on to hatred and anger significantly degrade our cognitive ability.
Chronic Pain
Are you struggling with chronic pain and finding yourself stressed or angry toward the current political climate? Choosing to regulate emotions and control your perspective can be a pain relief solution. The chemical changes occurring throughout your body when experiencing any negative emotions have been proven to increase the severity of chronic pain.
Sleep-Related Problems
Over 36% of the U.S. population struggles with sleep. Multiple environmental variables can impact sleep quality, including the negative emotions experienced during the day. Research demonstrates how an increase in daily negative emotions primes specific areas of the brain that promote insomnia. You may improve your sleep if you choose to regulate your emotions in the face of this hostile political climate.
Passing Anger to Your Offspring
Choosing to hold on to politically fueled anger and hatred may modify genes and predispose your future offspring to mental illness. The theory of epigenetics, or the heritable alteration in gene expression influenced by environmental factors, makes this a possible reality. Research demonstrates that hate and anger can be passed down through these gene alterations. Preventing the likelihood of your future family suffering from mental difficulties is another reason for making the changes now.
Strategies to Regulate Political Hatred and Anger
Social Media and Mainstream News Fast
Protecting your mind from exposure to social media and mainstream news will help you realize the harmful exposure this has had on you. Many of us may not be aware of the negative subconscious impact social media and the news has on us until we conduct a cleanse.
Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness or meditation for 5-10 minutes daily enables you to regulate emotions. We can’t control the things in our environment that cause distress, yet we all have the potential to observe and describe our thoughts and regulate emotions. Having a more vital prefrontal cortex makes this task easier. Research has demonstrated increased prefrontal cortex ability after 5-10 minutes of mindfulness or meditation over five weeks.
Cognitive Restructuring
The model of emotions starts with an external event, which leads to a thought influencing an emotion, which then leads to a behavior. Cognitive restructuring is a method for addressing thoughts, regulating emotions of hate and anger, and reducing the likelihood of unhelpful behavior. A more in-depth look at this skill and a worksheet to guide you in this process can be reviewed at Boost Your Happiness: How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Transform Your Life.
Changing Perception
We must learn to view others not by their political affiliation but as fellow humans who share space on this earth. Research looking at dehumanization and politics highlights this significant problem. Americans no longer see their opposites as humans worthy of kindness and love. It’s important to view those who differ from your political beliefs as humans first. Every human deserves love and respect, and it should not be conditional based on political beliefs.
Sleep, Nutrition, and Exercise
Optimizing brain performance further enables the capability to regulate anger and hatred. Years of research have proven that a holistic approach focusing on improving sleep quality, eating healthy, and exercising improves brain function, making it easier to regulate unhelpful thoughts and emotions. Eating a balanced meal full of antioxidants improves brain functioning. Consuming inflammatory foods increases brain inflammation, degrading the brain’s performance.
I call on anyone reading this to look inward, assess their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors within this political environment, and choose to make positive changes.
Gautama Buddha once said, “Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts. Develop the mind of equilibrium. You will always be getting praise and blame, but do not let either affect the poise of the mind: follow the calmness, the absence of pride.” As you learned of the mental and physical effects of anger and hatred, it’s not your political opponent causing this damage, it’s your “unguarded thoughts” and your choice to let the anger remain in your heart and soul.
