Anger Has Been Associated With Increase Pain

Two studies published in Arthritis Care & Research reported that anger amplifies clinical pain in women with and without fibromyalgia. Women with fibromyalgia not only experienced negative emotions more frequently and with a larger intensity, but also processed and dealt with their emotions in less healthy ways. The women with fibromyalgia had more difficulty identifying and describing their emotions and suppressed their emotions more, which are related to worse functioning, including more pain. The study found that negative emotions as experienced in daily life are able to increase pain above the already high pain levels in women with fibromyalgia. Because women with fibromyalgia experience negative emotions more frequently than women without fibromyalgia and already have heightened pain levels, the increase in pain due to negative emotions is especially relevant in this patient group. The study strongly suggests that negative emotions may cause an increase of the pain.