Considering God made Science and all that it entails, down to the minute details; it's no wonder that a good few things that science has to say match up with the Bible.
Recently I stumbled across an infographic of what science claims how anger affects the brain. In this post, I want to dissect (no pun intended) the graphic's information and tie it into a spiritual synopsis of how a brash outburst of emotion can lead to a burst blood vessel.
Let's start with the steps of how anger affects the brain.
1. The first spark of anger activates the amygdala (I've spoken about this little part of the brain in this post) before you're even aware of it.
2. The amygdala activates the hypothalamus (portion of the brain that controls body temperate, thirst hunger and overall homeostatic functions)
3. The hypothalamus signals the pituitary gland by discharging corticotropin- releasing hormone. The main purpose is to stimulate the following hormone ACTH- you'll find out its significance in a second.
4. The hypothalamus signals the pituitary glands by releasing adrenocorticotropic hormone (say that 3 times fast). This is also known as ACTH. ACTH's main reason for existence is to stimulate the production of cortisol. Cortisol helps control blood pressure, in essence. As ironic as it sounds, this has to happen so that you don't have a full anger overload and your body helps regulate itself.
5. The adrenal glands secrete stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline.
- As aforementioned, cortisol helps to lower your blood pressure
- Adrenaline fuels your fight or flight
-Noradrenaline works with the two and fights your blood pressure from dropping too low (acute hypotension)
Anger tends to change your brain in a few more ways. Remember cortisol? Well, when the cortisol levels are elevated, it causes neurons to accept a rather unacceptable amounts of calcium through the membrane. What's the issue with too much calcium? Momma always told me to drink my milk! Well, a calcium overload can make the cells fire too frequently and overall die off.
Cortisol is also something that despite its benefits, should be taken in moderation. Having too much cortisol in your system fuels an overall decrease in serotonin levels. Serotonin is the hormone that makes you happy. A decrease in that hormone, would as you suspect, make you feel angrier and frustrated very easily. It leads to aggressive behavior and in some cases depression.
So how does the all correlate to the Biblical perspective. Well, the Bible says the same thing- minus the medical terms at least. Thanks, John Abel (creator of the name Epinephrine). Here are some verses that the science was based on.
Although there are more verses, there is one central theme- refraining from anger is good for the body. God promises that those who keep their minds on Him will have perfect and unexplainable peace (Isaiah 26:3)
- In Ephesians 4:3, God warns us to stay anger free. It is written: Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. - Proverbs 6:24 says that "Kind words are like honey- sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. -Proverbs 14:30 states that A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
Although there are more verses, there is one central theme- refraining from anger is good for the body. God promises that those who keep their minds on Him will have perfect and unexplainable peace (Isaiah 26:3)
stay blessed,
rebecca.
