The angrier you are later in life the more damage you will do to your physical health, according to a Canadian researcher.

In a study published earlier this month, Concordia PhD candidate Meaghan Barlow explored whether emotions such as anger and sadness contributed to an increase in inflammation, which can lead to chronic illness in older adults.

Using data from 226 adults aged 59 to 93, Barlow and her team found that daily feelings of anger led to higher levels of inflammation and chronic illness in those aged 80 and over.

“Negative emotions are pretty widely thought to impact health adversely,” PhD candidate Meaghan Barlow, lead author of the study, told CTV’s Your Morning. “It can disrupt different bodily systems; it can also get in the way of health behaviours like diet and exercise. Then, in doing so, it can trigger inflammation and lead to enhanced disease risk.”

During the study, participants were asked to complete short questionnaires about how angry or sad they felt. Researchers then measured inflammation from blood samples and surveyed participants about any chronic illnesses.

Given that older adults experience more irreversible losses, such as the loss of a spouse or a decline in their physical mobility, researchers found that seniors are more likely to become angry about their circumstances.

But not all negative emotions are created equal. Researchers found that sadness does not have the same detrimental effect on our overall health.

“Sadness is actually associated with acceptance and disengagement from intractable losses or unattainable goals,” Barlow explained. “It can also serve different social functions, so it can signal the need for social support.”

The study does note that in younger seniors anger can be transformed into an energizing motion that helps to motivate the pursuit of life goals.

“Younger seniors may be able to use that anger as fuel to overcome life’s challenges and emerging age-related losses and that can keep them healthier,” Barlow wrote in a press release.

“Anger becomes problematic for adults once they reach 80 years old, however, because that is when many experience irreversible losses and some of life’s pleasures fall out of reach.”

The author suggests that social support and therapy may help older adults overcome the negative side of anger and allow them to live healthier lives as they age.