Suppressed Anger and Your Immune System

Anger, rage, frustration. These emotions are typically labeled as bad, wrong, or negative but they’re actually none of those things. There is nothing wrong with feeling angry or frustrated. It’s what we do with the emotions that matters. When you feel angry, you most likely start to feel an energy buildup. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. You might squeeze your fists naturally when that energy hits. This energy makes you want to run, it makes you want to scream, or it makes you want to punch something. Most of us have been told to push it down, don’t show others that anger. Well I’m here to say, let it out. Don’t suppress that anger. Don’t put it in that little box that you keep all of your “negative” emotions hidden in. Eventually that box is going to get too full, and the repercussions are not worth it. 

We are going to dive into what can happen when you suppress your anger, but we will also look at healthy emotional outlets for you to engage in when you're feeling angry. It would feel great to just scream into the void or punch whatever is in front of us every time we're angry, but of course that might not be possible (most of us don’t live near a void anyways and punching hard objects really hurts).

(Disclaimer: This is more of a newly researched topic, but there is research being done. As with all research, information listed below is based on recent trials and not 100% proven. Researchers cannot prove anything to the degree of absolute certainty. This does not take away from the information listed below.)

As stated before, anger is a completely normal emotion to feel. As uncomfortable of an emotion as it is, it’s natural for us to feel it. The concern for your health begins when you start to suppress that anger. The suppression of anger activates higher-order brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex, and lessens the activity in the amygdala (which helps process your emotions). Because of this, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (your body’s main way of responding to stress) is activated longer than we want it to be. With the higher activation in the prefrontal cortex and a prolonged activation of the HPA axis, cortisol secretion increases. This increase in cortisol disrupts your body’s immune function and can create a dysfunction in the immune system over time. Due to the immune system dysfunction, the probability of autoimmune disorders developing, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis, increases.

These findings can sound daunting, and I totally get that. Also, these findings don’t say that suppressed anger guarantees an autoimmune disorder developing. It states that the suppression increases your chances due to the increase in cortisol levels. Luckily, there are ways to combat the impacts of anger on your immune system. 

You might think the next thing I’m going to tell you is to breathe or meditate to get rid of that anger. You will be happy to know that is not what I’m going to say. We don’t need to calm down. We need to release the anger, which will help your body regulate naturally. The activities listed below all need to be done in a safe way and environment. The goal of these activities is not to harm others or yourself. The goal is to get that energy out of your body in a safe and productive way.

Throw a pillow on the ground

Do jumping jacks

Go for a walk and if that’s not enough then go for a run

Rip up paper or an egg carton

Scream into a pillow

Use a punching bag (if you have one) 

Punch a pillow

Squeeze a durable stress ball (I say durable because we all know some of those stress balls just can’t handle that kind of anger energy)

Scribble on a piece of paper

Go to a rage room 

If you don’t have the time or space to engage in these activities at the onset of the anger, use calming strategies in the moment (walk away from the situation, 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, listen to music, etc.) and then find time later in the day to process that anger using one of the above strategies. Releasing the energy from that anger is what is most important. The build up of anger is what costs us long term. 

So now we know that holding onto anger can be detrimental to our health. We also now have strategies to combat the anger in the moment. But if engaging in these activities doesn’t feel like enough for you, therapy is a great place to process current and past anger. No need to hold onto that anger you’ve been feeling. Therapists are ready to help you when you’re ready.

References:

Yadav, P., Yadav, R. Sapkota, N. 2017. “Anger; Its Impact on Human Body.” Innovare Journal of Health Sciences. Vol 4, IS 5

Independent. 2025. “Rage and autoimmune disease: is there a link between suppressed anger and the women’s health crisis?” https://www.independent.co.uk/health-and-fitness/anger-autoimmune-disease-b2815703.html

Autoimmune Registry. 2025. “What's the connection between suppressing anger and autoimmune disease?” https://www.autoimmuneregistry.org/newsletters/2025/9/5/whats-the-connection-between-suppressing-anger-and-autoimmune-disease

Cleveland Clinic. 2024. “Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis.” https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-hpa-axis