This is a great way to start the year. It could even be your New Year resolution.
A couple of months ago we came came across this NZ Herald article that offered sensational new advice on how to live longer.
The advice is based on research that says “people treated unfairly at work who suffer in silence have twice the risk of a heart attack or dying of heart disease compared with those who vent their anger”. This is in line with what doctors have long believed; that unresolved anger can impact your health.
Conversely, if you get mad and let off a little steam every once in a while, you’re likely to live longer.
Why is this important for the life insurance industry?
Well... if everyone can live just a year or two year longer, this will be very good for insurance companies and consequently, will lower life insurance premiums. Imagine that!
The research.
The research that has underpinned this advice is published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Swedish researchers from the University of Stockholm followed 2755 male workers from the early 1990s to 2003. They took a range of measurements, including blood pressure, body mass index and cholesterol levels, and asked the men how they coped with unfair treatment or conflict at work. They recorded whether the workers used avoidance tactics, such as walking away from a situation, and whether they suffered headaches or other physical symptoms. There were 47 deaths from heart attack or heart disease in the group over the 10 years. After correcting for the degree of job strain the men were under, and biological factors, they found those who persistently bottled up their anger rather than expressing it openly were more than twice as likely to suffer from heart attacks or heart disease.
It’s only reasonable, therefore, that we should be allowed to rant at work. Shout at your boss. Yell at your colleagues. Let off steam.
Get mad.
Live longer.
Much longer.
