Member-only story
Why Are People So Angry?
Having a short fuse can hurt you as well as others
A few years ago, I was in a parking lot and pulling out. It was dark and I was tired. I accidentally bumped into another car that was parked. I pulled my car back into its spot and got out to assess the damage.
The owner of the other car came barging up, a woman trailing behind.
He started to yell at me.
I quietly listened for a bit, then interrupted.
“I know it was my fault,” I said. “So how do you want to handle it?”
He continued to yell.
“Look,” I said. “I already admitted it was my fault. Is there a reason you are still yelling?”
He looked taken aback, then took in a breath so he could, I assume, go back to yelling. So this time I raised my voice a bit.
“Since I’ve admitted I was in the wrong, is there a point to your yelling?”
At this point I noticed the sympathetic look on the wife’s face. (At least, I assumed she was his wife. I can’t imagine someone wanting to be with that unless they were stuck.)
He finally stopped yelling and start sputtering, hemming, and hawing.
