Anger, like all our other emotions, is not something to suppress but something we need to listen to; it carries important clues about our boundaries, needs, and the context we live in (Richard et al., 2022). Many times, anger is interpreted only through “outbursts” or “loss of control.” However, recognizing anger can be an important way for a person to reconnect with themselves and their boundaries.
When Does Anger Emerge?
When we look at the conditions under which anger arises, we can see how fundamental and universal this emotion truly is. Anger may emerge in different situations, such as experiencing unfair treatment or when others behave in ways that affect a person’s plans. One study found that sleep deprivation is associated with the development of anger (Saghir et al., 2018). Another study reported that anger and aggression may occur as a result of social rejection, frustration, provocation, and social stress (Lickley and Sebastian, 2018).
These examples remind us of something important: anger often signals that something feels “too much,” that a boundary is being pushed, or that a person’s sense of justice has been wounded. For this reason, anger is not only an emotion, but also an inner warning system.
What Do Emotions Tell Us?
Our emotional responses constantly change depending on the conditions we are in and on what is happening both around us and within us (Cole, 1998, as cited in Guney-Yilmaz, 2022). Emotions act as an important guide in helping a person understand themselves; they help us recognize what we value, what we are drawn toward, and which of our needs are not being met. They also carry powerful signals about what supports us in daily life and what exhausts, strains, or slowly drains us from within.
For instance, when anger arises, it may reflect that a basic need—such as being seen, being understood, or having one’s boundaries respected—is not being met. From this perspective, every emotion can be seen as an expression of a need that is trying to become visible. However, what truly matters is not simply feeling the emotion, but how we make space for it within ourselves, how we experience it, what meaning we give it, and how we connect it with other parts of our life.
This awareness can help a person better understand which situations are not good for them and where they need to pause, protect themselves, or set limits. In this sense, emotions are not enemies to be silenced but signals that guide anger regulation, self-awareness, and relational clarity.
Emotion Appears In The Body
One of the most important ways to understand anger is to listen to the body. Emotions are not only thoughts formed in the mind; they are also experiences that appear as sensations in the body. In this sense, the body is the most vivid mirror of our relationship with the world and with what we go through—almost like a window opening outward to life.
Alongside the psychological aspect of every emotion, there is also a bodily response that accompanies it. For example, when we feel angry, our shoulders, arms, and hands may tense as if preparing for a fight; our face may flush and our jaw may tighten. Teeth grinding, clenching fists, flushing or paling, prickly sensations, numbness, sweating, muscle tension, and changes in body temperature may also be observed.
Our emotions and bodily experiences often occur simultaneously and in an intertwined way. This deep body–emotion connection is central to understanding how feelings are processed. Perls expressed this as follows: “True communication goes beyond words. So don’t just listen to the words. Listen to what the sounds, movements, postures, and what you see are telling you” (as cited in Guney-Yilmaz, 2022).
Suppress Or Regulate?
So what happens when we suppress anger instead of feeling it? A person may create barriers to noticing bodily sensations in order to protect themselves from negative emotions (as cited in Guney-Yilmaz, 2022). Suppression may seem to create order in the short term, but in the long term it can become a burden carried in the body and in relationships.
Emotions guide us toward action; however, not being aware of emotions—or, in other words, not being aware of the bodily sensations that give rise to emotions—can prevent us from taking action. In such cases, a conflict may arise between the muscle groups that would enable movement and the muscle groups that inhibit movement. This conflict may show itself in the body as tension, muscle pain, or various physical complaints.
Research also supports the impact of this relationship on quality of life. In a large cross-sectional sample of outpatients with bodily distress, higher self-reported emotion suppression—particularly anger suppression—was found to be associated with decreased quality of life (QoL) (Kahnert et al., 2025).
Alice Miller (2015), speaking about our emotions, says, “We are buried under everything we try to cover up.” Damasio (1994) states that “Emotions are not a luxury; they are a complex helping hand extended during the struggle for existence” (as cited in Guney-Yilmaz, 2022).
For this reason, rather than suppressing anger, trying to understand it may be a healthier path. Sometimes anger indicates that a boundary has been violated; sometimes it shows that a person has been silent toward themselves for a long time. Beneath anger, there are often very basic needs such as being seen, being heard, being respected, or being protected. Recognizing these needs can open a door for a person to reconnect with both their body and their emotions.
References
Güney-Yılmaz, M. (2022). Geştalt terapi yaklaşımındaki nörobiyolojik çalışmalarla da desteklenen beden-duygu ilişkisinin psikoterapi alanına katkıları. Temas: Geştalt Terapi Dergisi, 1:9–44.
Kahnert, S. M., Kämpfer, N., Ramm, M., Geiser, F., & Conrad, R. (2025). Angry body, angry mind – mediation analysis of anger suppression, psychopathology and quality of life in bodily distress. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 198, 112381.
Rachael A. Lickley & Catherine L. Sebastian (2018). The neural basis of reactive aggression and its development in adolescence. Psychology, Crime & Law.
Richard, Y., Tazi, N., Frydecka, D., Hamid, M. S., & Moustafa, A. A. (2022). A systematic review of neural, cognitive, and clinical studies of anger and aggression. Current Psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.), 1–13. Advance Online Publication.
Saghir, Z., Syeda, J. N., Muhammad, A. S., & Balla Abdalla, T. H. (2018). The amygdala, sleep debt, sleep deprivation, and the emotion of anger: A possible connection? Cureus, 10(7).