Anger reduces IQ?

[hitmankratos]

Is it true that anger secrets an enzyme that considerably reduces IQ?

 

If yes, what's the enzyme called?

[Gilded]

Might be a hormone rather than an enzyme? Although the only hormones I can associate with anger are adrenaline and noradrenaline, which aren't likely candidates. Of course, anger can sometimes make people think irrationally but I'd imagine it's hard to test whether it significantly reduces IQ and what specific biochemical effect is behind it. "I just burned your house down and wrecked your car. Here, do an IQ test."

[antimatter]

Wiki says:

The physical effects of anger include increased heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline.

[insane_alien]

speaking as something of an adrenaline junkie, adrenaline alone is enough to make you lose rational thought and/or coherency which may be perceived as a drop in IQ

[antimatter]

Indeed, but it's only temporary.

A drop in IQ is caused by many things, but one thing causing permanent loss of IQ is hard to find outside of physical damage.

[insane_alien]

yes, i thought that was what the OP was talking about, a temporary change. especially as the OP mentioned an enzyme, presumably the effect would disappear along with the enzyme.

[hitmankratos]

Yeah, obviously a temporary change...

So does that enzyme really exist?

[antimatter]

I don't know, have you looked it up online?

[YT2095]

Anger, like Fear, releases a Stress hormone called Cortisol, the Long term effects of elevated cortisol levels are indeed detrimental to us, both physically and mentally.

 

a quick search found this: "It cooperates with epinephrine (adrenaline) to create memories of short-term emotional events; this is the proposed mechanism for storage of flash bulb memories, and may originate as a means to remember what to avoid in the future. However, long-term exposure to cortisol results in damage to cells in the hippocampus. This damage results in impaired learning."

 

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol

[antimatter]

Ah okay, I knew there was something like that.

Exactly how elevated do they have to get for actual damage to occur?

[Keen2]

When we are angry, the enzyme 'Tryptophan Hydroxylase is released which hinders rational reasoning and reduces out intelligence quotient (IQ). 

There's your answer, from the film "shoot em up"

 

[Raider5678]

I was in kindergarten when this question was asked.

 

[Ken Fabian]

It always seemed obvious to me that if you can evoke a strong emotional response to an issue then the reasoning faculties are largely bypassed; political messaging uses this effect all the time. I hadn't thought of it in terms of bio-chemistry rather than psychology and I'm a bit surprised there could be identifiable bio-chemical processes involved.

[Keen2]

Lol, 10 years ago, and I only now find the answer

[akeena]

16 hours ago, Keen2 said:

When we are angry, the enzyme 'Tryptophan Hydroxylase is released which hinders rational reasoning and reduces out intelligence quotient (IQ). 

There's your answer, from the film "shoot em up"

 

I'm not quite following... Tryptophan Hydroxylase is an enzyme released when a person gets angry.  This enzyme regulates serotonin and melatonin levels.   What is the relationship between serotonin/melatonin levels and intelligence?

[Strange]

16 hours ago, Keen2 said:

There's your answer, from the film "shoot em up"

You get your scientific info from action movies?

I'm not sure that is the most reliable source.

[Keen2]

Not quite sure, it seems that it affects the logical thinking parts, that's all I know

[Ten oz]

Quote

 

It has been evident for over two decades that witnessing DV is capable of producing post-traumatic stress reactions among children present at the time of the violent acts (6, 16). It has been demonstrated that these children may develop serious adjustment and behavioral problems (18, 19). Given the evidence at hand, there is no doubt that DV can produce post-traumatic stress responses in children (16, 18, 20). Tribulations in early childhood have been shown to have serious consequences on mental health, and early life strain has been associated with cognitive difficulties such as poor academic accomplishments, lower intelligence quotients, as well as poor language skills, deficient memory, lack of inhibition, and inattention (21). These problems can persist into adolescence and adulthood (20). A history of witnessing DV or sexual victimization in childhood may increase the risk of subsequent marriage to an abusive mate (16), and childhood cumulative trauma (but not adulthood trauma) may predict the complexity of PTSD symptoms in adults (22).

The neurobiology of the brain is at the center of the problem at hand (6, 23, 24). There are compelling differences in neuroanatomy and cognitive function in affected children. These differences suggest the impact of maltreatment causes a crucial compromise of brain anatomy and function, including changes in structure, physiology, and signaling pathways (24–27). This is a critical concept to understand in this context.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4193214/

 

The study I linked focuses on Domestic Violence specifically but I have seen other studies that indicate exposure to anger, aggression, and violence of various types all have the same impact on children. The anatomy of the brain itself is altered. So for children it is clear anger is detrimental to most accepted concepts of intelligence. Adults on the other hand already have fully developed brains. Anger doesn't change an adults brain anatomy and function. So I suspect being anger doesn't negatively impact cognitive function. The point about cortisol is a good one however lots of things elevate cortisol. Doing cardio daily can elevate cortisol. Over time cortisol can be detrimental but levels depend on more than just mood. Diet and lifestyle matter as well.

[Keen2]

It's not about the exposure to Anger, it's about being angry temporarily reducing iq

 

[Ten oz]

2 hours ago, Keen2 said:

It's not about the exposure to Anger, it's about being angry temporarily reducing iq

 

I did address that:

3 hours ago, Ten oz said:

Anger doesn't change an adults brain anatomy and function. So I suspect being anger doesn't negatively impact cognitive function.

 

[Keen2]

But it's not about the brain anatomy, it's about the enzymes, which inhibit the function of the brain

 

[Ten oz]

31 minutes ago, Keen2 said:

But it's not about the brain anatomy, it's about the enzymes, which inhibit the function of the brain

 

The study I linked showed impacts on the nervous system, midbrain, cerebral cortex, limbic system, corpus callosum, cerebellum, and the hypothalamic, pituitary, and adrenal axis. How a brain functions matters and impacts tryptophan hydroxylase. I have read that these enzymes are related to aggression but I have not read being angry causes an changes. Rather it seems they are the reason one is angry in the first place. To my knowledge being anger doesn't change negatively impact cognitive function. I posted the DV article to show that it might be true that angry people (as a condition of PTSD or heritable trait) experience reduced IQs.

Quote

 

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system (CNS) serotonergic activity correlates inversely with human aggressive behavior, and individual differences in aggressive disposition are at least partially heritable. This study was conducted to evaluate the possible association between measures of antagonistic behavior and an intronic polymorphism of the gene coding for tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), the rate-limiting enzyme in serotonin biosynthesis.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10088047