---
name: anger
slug: anger
type: emotional state
status: running
version: 4.2.1
released: "~200,000 BCE"
maintainer: amygdala
dependencies:
  - perceived threat
  - unmet expectation
  - injustice (real or imagined)
  - sufficient cortisol
license: GPL (Generally Primal License)
tags:
  - emotion
  - survival
  - social
  - fire
  - not recommended for emails
---

anger

What it actually is

A full-body alert system triggered when something that matters to you has been violated, blocked, or disrespected. Often mistaken for the problem. Usually a symptom of pain.

How it works

Something happens. Or is perceived to happen. Or is remembered happening.
The amygdala flags it as a threat to self, values, or status.
Adrenaline and cortisol spike. Heart rate increases. Jaw clenches.
Attention narrows. Peripheral vision literally reduces.
User seeks a target. Target may or may not be the actual cause.
Output: words, silence, action, or a slammed cabinet door.

The whole process takes approximately 90 seconds to biochemically complete. Everything after that is a choice the user is making, whether they know it or not.

Features

Signal function: reliably indicates that a boundary or value has been crossed
Fuel: converts grief and fear into forward motion when paralysis is not viable
Social enforcement: communicates "do not do that again" without requiring a memo
Clarity mode: occasionally strips away politeness and produces the truest sentence a person has said all year

Known bugs

Target misidentification (rate: high). The person who cut you off in traffic is rarely the correct addressee.
Recursive loop. Anger at being angry. Shame about anger. Anger about the shame. See: the shame spiral.
Escalation without checkpoint. Once past threshold, additional inputs are automatically interpreted as hostile.
Legacy installs may suppress entirely, storing output in the body instead. See: chronic tension, passive aggression.

Error codes

ERR_001  displacement          // assigned to wrong target
ERR_002  suppression_overflow  // no output, internal pressure rising
ERR_003  identity_merge        // user has become the anger, not the user
ERR_004  righteous_loop        // too correct to stop, unable to stop
ERR_005  hairpin_trigger       // threshold eroded by fatigue or hunger

"I wasn't angry. I was just being honest." — user exhibiting ERR_001 and ERR_003 simultaneously

Configuration

# recommended settings
expression_mode: direct_and_bounded
target_verification: enabled
delay_before_send: 900s  # 15 minutes minimum for emails
physical_release: enabled
rumination_limit: 3  # loops before forced interrupt

Default install ships with rumination_limit: unlimited. Most users never change this.

Edge cases

grief wearing anger as a coat. Harder to process because it looks like aggression.
Righteous anger on behalf of others. One of the cleanest forms. Often the origin of justice.
Cold anger. Low temperature, long burn, precise. Distinct from hot anger. Frequently more effective and more dangerous.
Anger as the only emotion a person was permitted to feel growing up. In this case, it is doing the work of at least four others simultaneously.

FAQ

Is anger bad? No. It is loud, which is different.

Should I express it? The question is how, not whether. Unexpressed anger does not disappear. It gets creative.

When does it become a problem? When it stops being information and starts being identity.

drafting spec…