Why can't we simply allow the negative emotions to wear themselves down? Experience shows that, like an infection that goes untreated, the disturbing emotions gain in strength when allowed to take their course. Unleashing anger whenever it arises, for instance, tends to create a state psychological instability that only increases irascibility. The results of various psychological studies contradicts the notion that giving free rein to the emotions temporarily relieves the bottled up tensions. By systematically allowing our negative emotions to express themselves, we develop habits to which we are vulnerable every time the emotional charge reaches the critical thresh hold. In addition, threshold will gradually become lower and anger will erupt ever more easily. the result will be what is, commonly called a bad temper, accompanied by chronic suffering. From the psychological point view, arterial tension diminishes if we prevent anger from opening expressing itself, but it increases when we fly into a rage.
Behavioural studies have also shown that those who are best able to balance their emotions (by controlling them without repressing them) also demonstrate the greatest selflessness in the face of the suffering of others. Most hyper motive people are more concerned with their own distress at the sight of suffering than with the ways in which they might help to relieve that suffering.
It does not follow however that we need to stifle our emotions, Preventing them from expressing themselves While leaving them intact like a time bomb in a dark corner of our mind, is both a stopgap and an unhealthy solution. Psychologist aver tht suppressed emotion can cause serious mental and physical damage and that we should at all costs avoid turning our emotions against ourselves. We can die of a stroke in a fit of rage or consume ourselves in obsessive desire. In all such cases, it is because we haven't been able to establish the right dialogue between our intelligence and our emotions.
