Heart Disease
Faced with workplace injustices, many suppress their anger rather than speak up, choosing to endure in silence. Swedish psychologists published a study in the British Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health, revealing that prolonged suppression of anger significantly increases men's risk of heart disease.
Survey: 80% of Professionals Suffer from Psychological Issues
According to statistics from intervention centers, 1,600 counseling sessions were conducted last year, with the vast majority involving professionals. Among them, teachers and civil servants exhibited the most prominent psychological problems, accounting for 40% of those seeking help.This indicates that working professionals constitute a high-risk group for psychological disorders, exhibiting significantly higher rates of somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, depression, anxiety, and paranoia compared to the general population.
Bottling Up Anger and Grief
Constanze Reinewebber, a psychologist at Stockholm University's Stress Research Institute, led a research team that tracked 2,755 men selected from 20 specialized medical institutions between 1992 and 1995.
Researchers used questionnaires to ask participants how they reacted to unfair treatment from superiors or colleagues at work: confronting the issue head-on, silently enduring it, walking away, or venting anger at home later.
All participants were free of heart disease at the study's outset. By the end of 2003, 47 participants had developed heart disease or died from it.
The BBC reported on the 24th that researchers found individuals who frequently chose to "endure silently" or "walk away" had twice the incidence of heart disease compared to those who confronted injustice by "fighting back." However, those who chose to "vent at home" showed no increased risk of heart disease.
Scientific Explanation
Researchers believe that suppressed resentment, if not released, causes physical tension, leading to elevated blood pressure and ultimately harming the cardiovascular system.
Their findings align with a study published last year in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, which indicated that authoritarian or incompetent bosses increase their subordinates' risk of heart disease and mortality.
"I think men are not good at dealing with conflict," said Rene Weber. "It's not about what they think, but what their instinctive reaction is."
"Stress itself does not pose a threat to the heart and circulatory system," said Judy O'Sullivan, senior nurse at the British Heart Foundation. "But some people's responses to stress, such as smoking or overreacting, can increase the risk of disease."
O'Sullivan added, "We see stress manifesting in many forms, but the key is finding positive ways to cope with work and family pressures."