Everyday Health Dilemmas Solved

Yell at Someone Who Makes You Angry, or Go for a Walk to Calm Down?

Better choice: a walk 
There are health benefits to expressing anger, but it's not always most helpful to do so in the heat of the moment.

By removing yourself, even briefly, from the situation, you may be able to gain perspective on what's been said, why it upset you, and how you'd like to communicate your feelings, says Robert M. Sapolsky, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience at the Stanford University Brain Research Institute, in Palo Alto, California.

 But… If that someone is your spouse or a roommate, yell. Chronically bottling up anger in a close relationship can cause serious communication problems and, according to a study published in the February issue of Circulation, can harm your health.