Does Biting Your Tongue Harm Your Heart?

People who suppress their anger with colleagues orthem had heart attacks for the researchers to come
superiors at work are, staggeringly, more than twice asto any conclusions.
likely to die of a heart attack or heart disease, says aClearly the survey found a corollary between heart
Swedish study of more than 2,800 men.attacks and keeping things bottled up, but it doesn't
(A separate, earlier, study said that an overbearing ornecessarily tell us what to do about it. That is a
incompetent boss heightened the risk of angina, heartpersonal question. For me, the thing to do would be to
attack and death. Though the last, of course, willexplain our concerns to the person that's annoying us
happen irrespective of the calibre of your employer.)calmly and clearly. I'd hope to pitch my comments as
Apparently lashing out at the office is not an effectiveabout solving whatever the problem is at hand, rather
way of dealing with things, but the study didn't look atthan turning into a discussion about anger or frustration.
the good ways of tackling anger.  ConstanzeOf course, talking to friends outside of work would be
Leineweber,  a psychologist at Stockholm University'suseful too, just as a way to let off a little steam. But,
Stress Research Institute and co-author of the report,however you feel about someone, bad mouthing them
said on a US Department of Heath site:to anyone at the office, even if they are disliked by
"It is not good just to walk away after having such aother people, is something that nobody should do –
conflict or to swallow one's feelings […]   Shoutingif only because it could leave you in a precarious
out, and so on, is not proper coping,"position in the future.
While the study included 2,000 women, too few of