The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World

by Dalai Lama XIV

When making decisions, angry people also tend to have an underlying feeling of certainty about their facts or opinions, which can lead to a feeling of confidence and optimism but also can impair their ability to be objective or rational. These tendencies can be traced back to anger’s most basic function—when we are frustrated or thwarted in achieving a goal, anger kicks in to remove the obstacle. The cause is seen as something external that we must fight against or overcome. So, for example, this general orientation toward dealing with some kind of threat or obstacle is associated with the tendency to see external agents as the cause of the problem, and with the characteristic tendency to blame others whenever anger is elicited. In fact, studies have shown that the mere experience of anger can automatically activate ways of thinking that lead to prejudice.