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Midlife Women’s Anger Traits Decline With Age, Study Finds

The declines across key anger measures coincide with later reproductive stages, suggesting stronger emotion regulation develops in midlife.

Close-up of a mature woman smiling with her eyes closed.
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Overview

  • The Menopause journal paper analyzed data from over 500 women aged 35 to 55 in the Seattle Midlife Women’s Health Study to track anger trait trajectories.
  • Anger temperament, reactions, aggressive expression and hostility all decreased significantly with chronological age, highlighting broad reductions in anger proneness.
  • Anger levels fell sharply after the late-reproductive stage, underlining the role of reproductive aging in emotional shifts.
  • Suppressed anger was the sole trait unaffected by aging, pointing to distinct patterns in how women manage hidden anger.
  • Authors call for everyday-life research to refine emotion regulation and anger management strategies, noting links between high anger traits and cardiovascular and depressive risks.