NEW YORK: Contrary to popular belief prevalent in Western societies, researchers have found that anger is actually linked with better, not worse health, in certain cultures.

Greater anger is associated with better biological health among Japanese people, the findings showed.

"The truism linking anger to ill health may be valid only within the cultural boundary of the 'West,' where anger functions as an index of frustration, poverty, low status and everything else that potentially compromises health," said psychological scientist Shinobu Kitayama from University of Michigan.

For the study, the researchers examined survey data drawn from participants in the US and Japan.

To measure health, the researchers looked at biomarkers for inflammation and cardiovascular functioning, both of which have been linked to anger expression in previous research.

The combination of these two factors served as a measure of overall biological health risk.

Read the full article "Anger could be an indicator of good health!" at The Economic Times.