Researchers have long agreed that anger hurts your health and your heart most of all: It inflates blood pressure, dumps fats into the blood, pumps in adrenaline and other hormones that make platelets stickier and more likely to clog arteries, and may even weaken the immune system. The question arises - What to do about it: Blow up and let it out or bottle it up and ignore it? But the choice is neither. There is a third kind of damage control - a reasoned response - that with a little practice really works.
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Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
1. Researches have long agreed that anger hurts your health and your heart most of all : It inflates blood pressure, dumps fats into the blood, pumps in adrenaline and other hormones that make platelets stickier and more likely to clog arteries, and may even weaken the immune system. The question arises – What to do about it? Blow up and let it out or bottle it up and ignore it? But the choice is neither. There is a third kind of damage control – a reasoned response – that with a little practice really works.
2. Twenty or thirty years ago, psychologists thought that venting out anger might actually help us. Studies show that bottling up anger makes you sick – so may be the opposite – venting, catharsis, cleaning out the pipes – helps you stay well or so the theory went. But it does not work that way. Anger kills and it does not appear to matter whether you blow up or keep it bottled up inside, concluded Redford Williams, M.D., the Duke University researcher who pioneered work in this area. It is bad for your health either way.
3. What is wrong with the venting theory is that it is not a type behaviour in general that harms you but very specific acts and attitudes. Dr. Williams explains that there are three particularly toxic issues that are linked to ill health: cynicism about others, frequent anger and aggressive behaviour. In a word ‘hostility’. When something does not suit you, your impulse is to find someone to blame, get mad and attack. But the lifesaving trick is to learn a few simple techniques to diffuse your hostility and step aside from enraging situations. The instant you feel your gorge rising, says Williams, ask yourself, “Is this really important for me?” If not, put it aside without even asking the next two questions. If the answer is yes, ask yourself “Am I justified in being angry in this situation?” You weigh the pros and cons of what is going on. Dr William suggests, “Pretend that you have to come up with a case that would hold up in court. Your answer is no, you may feel your anger dissolving. If your answer is yes, one more question you have to ask yourself. Do I have an effective response? What can I do right now that will remedy the situation?” Obviously an aggressive response is not a productive one. Dr. William says, “The research shows that people who act aggressively whenever they get angry have high death rates. That is because they let their blood pressure and adrenaline levels soar, nicking off their arteries and suppressing their immune system.”
4. Meditation is a time honoured tool for calming down when you feel yourself losing control. Take several deep breaths. Fix your eyes on a distant spot, and then each time you breathe out, bring to mind a pleasant image. Talk to yourself in silence. Say ‘Stop it’. Then switch to another subject you enjoy, a friend, tomorrow’s cricket game, your vacation or think of the person whom you love the most.
5. Last but very important is ‘Pretend today is your last.’ Assume that it is the final day of your life. You would not like to call your enemy your enemy and would like to patch up the quarrel very kindly forgetting all differences. So madness is hell. Avoid it, tomorrow, today and even now.
I) On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions as briefly as possible:
(i) What are the common ill-effects of anger?
(ii) What are the two common ways adopted to vent out anger?
(iii) What happens if the anger is not allowed to be expressed?
(iv) What three toxic issues are linked to ill-health?
II) Choose the most appropriate option.
1. According to the author, the best way to deal with an episode of anger is
(i) blow up and let it out (iii) deal with it rationally
(ii) bottle it up and ignore it (iv) control the damage it has caused.
2. Redford Williams, M.D., the Duke University researcher has pioneered work in the area of
(i) harmful effects of venting out anger
(ii) effects of anger on blood pressure and immune system
(iii) effective anger management
(iv) behaviour that triggers anger.
III) Find words / phrases from the passage which mean the same as the following:
(i) block (Paragraph 1) (ii) course of action (paragraph 3)