Anger may be motivating factor

UTRECHT, Netherlands, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Anger activates the left side of the brain associated with positive emotions and linking an object with anger makes people want it, Dutch researchers say.

First author Henk Aarts of Utrecht University in the Netherlands and colleagues had study participants watch a computer screen while images of common objects, like a mug or a pen, appeared on the screen.

The study participants did not realize that immediately before each object appeared on the screen, a picture was flashed of either a neutral face, an angry face or a fearful face. Each subliminal image tied each object to an emotion.

At the end of the experiment, participants were asked how much they wanted each object.

In another experiment, study subjects had squeezed a handgrip to get the desired object.

The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, found people put more effort in getting objects associated with angry faces, but not faces associated with fear.

"This makes sense if you think about the evolution of human motivation," Aarts said in a statement.

For example, if there's limited food in the environment, those who associate food with anger and turn aggression into an attack response to get the food are more likely to survive.