At the same time, we’re dealing with anger provoked by the coronavirus pandemic: anger at public officials because they’ve shut down parts of society, or anger because they aren’t doing enough to curb the virus.

“We’re living, in effect, in a big anger incubator,” said Raymond Novaco, a psychology professor at the University of California at Irvine, who has expertise in anger assessment and treatment.

“Certainly, one way of responding, and a common way of responding, is anger,” said Morganstein, who chairs the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on the Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster.

“We know that uncertainty as both as a cognitive and emotional state is one that people want to resolve,” she said.

“The most important lesson concerning anger control is not to get angry in the first place,” said Novaco.

He suggests three “antidotes” to help prevent anger from taking hold: appreciation, affiliation and aspiration.

By employing these antidotes, he said, “we’re doing things that insulate us from getting angry about stuff.”.

Another way to insulate yourself from anger is though “basic self-care,” said Morganstein: getting enough sleep, hydration, and nutritious food and exercise, and not using alcohol, tobacco or other substances to cope.

“We need our brains to help us combat anger, because that takes a lot of cognitive effort,” Bushman said.

“We really could all stand more media breaks, more time walking outside, seeing our neighbors, saying hello, exchanging problem-solving and reminding each other that we’re in this together,” Morganstein said.

 To control your anger, Novaco said, “you’ve got to recognize that it’s happening.” That means “self-monitoring”: being attuned to the physical feelings — a flushed face, a racing heart or tight muscles, perhaps — that indicate anger is approaching.

“I think it’s important for people, when you talk about anxiety or anger, to sort of acknowledge that it’s there.

Addressing our anger involves both physiological and cognitive components, according to Bushman.

“Physiologically, you want to reduce the arousal state to get rid of the anger,” he said, through taking deep breaths or listening to calming music, or counting to 10 — or, following Thomas Jefferson’s counsel, 100.

“When your breathing is slow and regular, you’re not angry and you’re not anxious,” Novaco said.

“Angry people tend to ruminate about what made them angry,” Bushman said.

Helping someone has the added benefit of giving you a sense of control. “One of the things that can feel very overwhelming and paralyzing for people is to sit in a passive mode,” said Morganstein, especially when absorbing news or social media?

virtually every movement in history has been fueled by anger because angry people want to do something about their current situation,” Bushman said

In contrast to other emotions such as depression and anxiety, Novaco said, anger can be a powerful positive force

“I think that is a great way of dealing with anger,” she said