The anger advantage Book

Do you choke back frustrations with a romantic partner because you’re afraid of breaking up? Do you feel trapped by negative family dynamics but guilty if you get angry at your loved ones? Are you afraid of showing your anger in professional settings for fear that you won’t be taken seriously? Conventional wisdom tells us that anger is a dangerous emotion—and that we should do whatever we can to temper it and keep it under wraps. For women, anger is especially frowned upon: we view it as unflattering, bitchy, and a sure-fire way to sabotage our careers and relationships. But in fact, angry emotions are one of the greatest gifts we possess. As authors Deborah Cox, Sally Stabb, and Karin Bruckner show in this landmark book, when expressed openly and directly, anger can be a remarkable, positive tool for transforming women’s lives. Based on the authors’ nationally acclaimed six-year study on the links between gender and anger, The Anger Advantage offers women everywhere an entirely new paradigm for thinking about anger, and shows why diverting it is rarely the best idea. Their findings showed that women who are uncomfortable with how they are being treated at home or work, who try to hide their anger or struggle to voice tensions not only risk a host of physical ailments—such as headaches and depression—but become hostages in stagnant, unfulfilling relationships and lose touch with their own motivations and needs. In contrast, women who embrace their angry emotions and learn to express them in open, productive ways experience heightened intellectual clarity, greater self-esteem, and the passion and energy to spark life-altering change. The Anger Advantage guides you in evaluating your own anger patterns, and then offers hands-on, prescriptive strategies for using anger proactively in all areas of your life: at home, at work, in friendships, and in love. As you learn to identify the roots of angry emotions and share your anger in a forthright, positive way, you will: • gain clearer insight into who you are and what you want • learn how to set and maintain healthy boundaries, and forge stronger personal relationships • alleviate any physical symptoms generated by unhealthy diversions of anger • free yourself from unnecessary guilt, shame, and self-recrimination Warm, insightful, and empowering, The Anger Advantage provides a groundbreaking window into women’s anger that reveals why we shouldn’t be afraid to express ourselves—and why angry emotions can be a guiding light in building rewarding, fulfilling lives.