Anger Kills: Seventeen Strategies for Controlling the Hostility That Can Harm Your Health (Mass Market Paperback)

by Redford Williams (Author), (none) (Author) "Anger kills. But will it kill me?..." (more)
Key Phrases: hostility log, hostility syndrome, brain serotonin function, Hostility Log, Hostility Roadmap, Hostility Syndrome (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Redford ( The Trusting Heart ) and Virginia Williams ( Surrealism, Quantum Philosophy and World War I ), husband and wife, explain the interplay of psychology and medicine in this instructive book. Elaborating on Redford Williams's earlier work, which linked excess hostility to life-threatening illness, especially heart disease, they present new scientific findings as well as draw on their own experiences in their more than 30 years together. A questionnaire and other exercises are provided to help readers locate their hostility level and identify what types of things "set them off." Finally, the authors outline 17 strategies to control anger. These include meditation, laughing at oneself, assertiveness, caring for a pet and performing community service. A deft balance of research and intuitive perceptions. Author tour.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
This clearly written book is a continuation and elaboration of Redford Williams's earlier work, The Trusting Heart (Times Bks., 1989), in which he described recent scientific evidence linking hostile thinking and behavior to cardiovascular risk. In Anger Kills , the authors convincingly describe the damage that cynicism, anger, and aggression can do to personal health and to interpersonal relationships. A brief "hostility" questionnaire is followed by 17 proven techniques for changing these insidiously deleterious personality traits. The strategies are straightforward and practical. Follow even some of them and, at the least, you will improve the quality of your relationships. You may even prolong your life. A promotional tour should ensure high demand. Highly recommended for public libraries and wherever interest warrants.
- January Adams, Somerville P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (November 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061097535
• ISBN-13: 978-0061097539
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,613 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Easy-To-Use Guide, June 17, 2003

By	Kimberly Borrowdale (Oregon USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

ANGER KILLS is a user-friendly book that combines practical skills with sound background information--starting with The Hostility Questionnaire in Chapter One "Am I At Risk?" which helps the reader identify her levels of Cynicism, Anger, and Aggression. The chapter also details two other methods for identifying danger levels of anger, The Hostility Log and The Hostility Roadmap.

Chapter Two "The Facts About Hostility" discusses the various important studies done not only on "Type A" people and behavior but also the medical evidence of the health risks of anger.

Chapters Three though Nineteen give one each of the 17 strategies, including: Reason with Yourself, Distract Yourself, Meditate, Avoid Overstimulation, Assert Yourself, Care for a Pet, Listen!, Be Tolerant, and Laugh at Yourself. Each chapter is organized into these sections: When to Use This Strategy, How to Use This Strategy, Why This Strategy Works, The ABCs of [e.g., Reasoning with Yourself], and Exercises.

It is obvious that ANGER KILLS is a labor of love as well as expertise. The Doctors Redmond (a husband and wife team) use examples from their own lives (not just the lives of their patients/clients) and relationship. Their writing style is clear, easy to follow, and empathic. Throughout the book, cartoons and quotations are used to illustrate key points. On the expertise side, he is director of behavioral research at Duke University Medical Center, and she is an author and historian.

ANGER KILLS is an easy-to-use guide to helping one's life become both healthier and happier.

Kimberly Borrowdale - Under the Covers Book Reviews

41 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the title says it all, September 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Anger Kills (Paperback)

Are you depressed? Do you seem to be pissed off a good part of your day; are you aggravated with people and do find yourself cursing at life? Well, there is probably anger driving these feelings of hostility toward yourself and others. This is very unhealthy in the long run. Unless you can buy your own island, dealing with people is a must. So instead of letting people make you mad, take control or else anger kills. If you don't believe this I will tell you how it almost killed my desire to succede and almost kept me from moving ahead.

The truth is people can be a pain in the u know where. Deal with it. This is how.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anger Can Be Hazardous to Your Health, November 8, 2007

By	Steven Lance "writeon" (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews

"Getting angry is like taking a small dose of some slow-acting poison, arsenic...every day of your life (Page XV).

This books explains that hostility is at the root of our anger.
One cannot get rid of anger with a wish and a prayer or even a commitment not to do it again. I tried this dozens of times and it never works. This books tells me I must chip anger away a little bit at a time (until the day I die). The author states that "three aspects of hostility that are harmful to health are cynicism, anger, and aggression."

Cynicism: a mistrusting attitude,
Anger: the emotion that we show when confronted with unacceptable behavior, and
Aggression: the behavior to which hostile people are driven.

I will never cured of this habit since I had since six years old.
I must treat anger like someone keep away from any other addiction.