Why is the Population Becoming More Angry?

We hear more and more about ‘conflict’, ‘road rage’, ‘random attacks’ and ‘cyber bullying’ in everyday life. However, we need to ask what is making people in our society so angry. Conflict is almost becoming the normal status quo, and relationship breakdown is at an all time high. Whole countries seem to be in grid-locked in conflicts which seemingly have no end, or even respect for the value of life.

It is clear that there is a change in the general mood of the population. The reason must therefore lie with changes to the way we live and interact in current times.

These factors may be contributing to the change in temperament:

1.        Working hours and terms;

“Working hard and working smart sometimes can be two different things.” Byron Dorgan

There is no doubt that people are having to work harder to earn a living, with employers holding the cards as to the conditions under which they work. Working from nine to five is a concept of the past, with many people working long hours, and even from home too. We have even seen the emergence of oppressive legislation in the form of “zero hour” contracts. These contracts allow for ‘a carrot and stick’ mentality between an employer and employee, however in this case, the employer holds a baseball bat and employee a meagre Chantenay. Once upon a time, contracts had to have clear contract terms which would of course have working hours at the upper requirement level, offering some ‘consideration’ from the employer.

2.             Home work life balance;

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” Albert Einstein

Most people will confirm that they struggle to maintain the balance between the time spent at work, and in the alternate, at home. Of course, many people are opting to work from home rather than the workplace, but this does not necessarily result in a reduction of working hours. Others work from home, having opted to become self-employed or having started their own business. Working from home can mean those finish lines never appear. The complexities of working from home have changed with changes in marketing, meaning inbound marketing places the power with consumers, and much more work for all businesses and traders to satisfy their “hungry” audience. Social media is probably one of the biggest new roles which all businesses have had to adopt in the last ten years.

3.             Use of technology;

“Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.” Christian Lous Lange

Technology can be highly addictive to some individuals, therefore like any addiction it can alter mood and behaviour. We see people exposing their personal data on modern media without thought of the consequences. Equally, simply having such exposure can affect the personality. The use of technology enables some people to enter a fantasy world where they can live out their dreams, the frustration then comes when they have to face reality.

Clearly using social media also carries the danger of making us introvert, as we lose our ability to communicate, share and be inclusive. Albert Einstein famously warned that a generation of idiots would be borne when technology replaced human interaction.

4.             Frustration;

“Success is not built on success. It’s built on failure. It’s built on frustration. Sometimes it’s built on catastrophe.” Sumner Redstone

There are so many reasons for frustration in modern day society, from a simple loss of control and worth, to wider economic and social issues. People develop apathy along with deep rooted frustrations, and the inability to affect change can lead to frustration and ultimately anger. Sometimes the frustration arises simply because people struggle to achieve the standards set by the wealthy. However, as we see constantly the gap between the super-rich and the normal public is growing, and given recent revelations like the Panama Papers, it is asserted social mobility may be out of reach. We have consistently seen a system designed to keep the rich richer, and the poor poorer. The sense of frustration can become intense when our efforts seem pointless in the grand scale of things.

5.             Ease of access to things;

“When something comes easy, you usually let it go the same way.” Nora Roberts

Theoretically, the ease of access to things should mean that we are happier. However, there is satisfaction in having to earn and struggle to achieve, or earn things. A complacency can exist if we have too much with little or no effort, leaving us with nothing to strive for, and idle to vent on things which seemed insignificant before. This ease of access can also intensify frustrations, when similarly we cannot obtain certain things. It may even lead to a lack of compassion, as we indeed have no understanding of true struggle and hardship. Maybe this offers an explanation of the attitude to towards refugees, as many people cannot identify with their plight. However, it should not never be the case that people are hardened in their humanity towards others but for experience.

6.             External pressures;

“Pressure makes diamonds.” George S Patton Jr

The list under this category is extensive, such is the amount of pressure on individuals for an array of reasons. Most regions have or are facing economic strain with unemployment and high costs of living. Added to this are inequalities in health care provisions, education and location.

It is clear that those able to overcome pressures, are likely those who will succeed in life. Often the long, winding road is the path that teaches us most inner strength and tenacity.

7.             Unprecedented levels of stress;

“Sometimes when people are under stress, they hate to think, and it’s the time when they most need to think.” William J Clinton

Stress is constantly around us in all shapes and forms, with new issues creating their own stress to our lives. This can have an impact on health, relationships and ability to cope generally. Clearly, stress is one of the biggest causes of apparent ‘anger’, when we look up, close and personal. What is clear is that unless all factors are addressed, then stress will keep bringing us to boiling point sooner.

8.             Erosion of family values and relationships;

“Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” David Ogden Stiers

Once upon a time relationships were for life, however we are now seeing relationships regarded as being disposable, as what suited today may not be the case tomorrow. Attitudes have changed beyond reason in this area, which may again be affecting our emotional wellbeing. Human beings need happiness for a healthy life, an enormous part of which is relationships with others, both close and remote. Many people seek career or business success, often spending excessive hours away from loved ones when in fact, their initial aim was to provide finances for the wellbeing of this unit.

9.             Lack of quality downtime.

“Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream.” John Lennon

It is true, people perceive they are busier than ever. Time for holidays is at a premium, relaxation is not given the same attention as before. Many parents now both have to work, and experience fatigue at those times which should be quality time. Eating properly and exercising regularly are difficult to achieve, whilst managing all the demands of modern life. Others feel pressurised not to take breaks or stop for lunch due to work or other commitments.

10.          Inequality

“The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” Aristotle

We are seeing unprecedented inequality around the globe. Social mobility is becoming the exception rather than the rule, as more hurdles are placed on the path to financial success. Economic issues caused the banking crisis, tax evasion and corruption are taking its toll around the globe. Technology is racing ahead in the Twenty-First Century, with robots and artificial intelligence making traditional roles redundant. Employment is becoming a luxury, and some countries are trying to secure a ‘living wage’ to redress the balance.

It is clear there is a correlation between how we live and the emotional temperament of the population. We are now dependent on various technologies to function, so it is clear we cannot eliminate them totally from our lives. However, we can seek to redress the balance, and ensure that we do have quality time at every perceivable opportunity. It has been proven that being happy does increase life expectancy. The converse must equally be true, given that anger causes strain on our bodily systems and posture. The factors above provide some insight as to the starting point of anger, whilst this list may seem lengthy we can still find creative ways to maintain happiness to balance the ever imposing world upon our lives.

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