where is anger in the brain?

This is a complex question. Anger starts in the left hemisphere of the body.  When we start to feel anger in the body, our hearts start racing, things move slower yet fast all at once, and we get those fight or flight feelings, our brains start to produce chemicals. Often testosterone will increase, and our stress hormone cortisol will decrease.  The body will try to protect itself by signaling us to do something different when we get angry. Our body is not always right in what we should do. We must learn what causes us to feel that way and control our reactions to our emotions.  There are many different coping skills to deal with anger. Some people have an easier time getting over their anger than others. It affects everyone differently. Emotions are healthy and temporary, even anger!

The first part of the brain to feel anger is the amygdala. The amygdala is a bunch of cells at the base of the brain. The amygdala is kind of a jerk. It helps give memories meaning and activates our fear and anger response. The problem with the amygdala is it does attach our memories to emotions that are not always right. For example, if you are given chocolate every year on your birthday, your amygdala will associate chocolate with happiness. If the only time you have ever had chocolate is at funerals, then your amygdala will associate chocolate with sadness. Chocolate is neither sad nor happy (debatable for sure!), but the funeral was most likely sad and hopefully the birthday happy. This is the reason we can react positively, negatively, or overreact to certain events, objects, and times in our lives!  See, this part of the brain can be jerky.  If you are struggling with anger, there are helpful and scientific ways to overcome your negative reactions to anger. Remember, all feelings are good, even those that feel bad.  Therapists on BetterHelp can help you identify your negative patterns, how your amygdala is attaching emotions to memories, and how to deal with tough feelings such as anger.  You can learn how to deal with anger, respond to anger better, and even react in better ways to your feelings of anger.