# Have you got angrier as you've gotten older? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 30, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069 "2014-10-30T23:45:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/21 "2014-10-31T04:50:30Z")
I’ve always been pretty mellow and I think I still am. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/22 "2014-10-31T06:14:10Z")
Other way around, dude. The older I get, the better I am at letting it slide off my back. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/23 "2014-10-31T06:27:50Z")
> [@MrsTime](#): > > When I was young things were so very black and white, now that I am old gray is more than just my hair. Nothing is cut and dried any more , and not much deserves my anger either. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ve always been pretty mellow and I think I still am. > [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Other way around, dude. The older I get, the better I am at letting it slide off my back. All of these. Life’s too short to be angry. If something pisses you off, either do something about rectifying it, or shut the fuck up. Don’t stew in anger, think of your blood pressure! kam…who can’t think of anything so important it needs her ire to help flame it! ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/24 "2014-10-31T06:41:12Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > What (some of them) said. I’m overall less prone to get angry, but when I do get angry, I’m more inclined to express it. It’s something of a work in progress; I came from a home where you didn’t display anger, ever. It was the prime sin. Literally the only time my parents expressed anger with each other was a few days before they announced their divorce. I’m still learning that I can express anger without losing people over it, but it’s a really hard lesson for me. Of course, I’m only 39 and 11/12ths, so there’s still plenty of learning to do. Are you a turkey baby, too? I’m pissed that I spend every birthday cooking Thanksgiving dinner. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/25 "2014-10-31T06:56:05Z")
I used to be more mellow and keep trying to regain that, but present circumstances require me to focus on and execute Every. Little. Thing. Picture Lewis Black attempting to practice Zen Buddhism. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/26 "2014-10-31T07:04:16Z")
I’m 41 and recently realised what a short fuse I’ve developed and how I can, quite frankly, be a bit of a bitch. It’s something I’m working on improving. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/27 "2014-10-31T11:43:03Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > Are you a turkey baby, too? I’m pissed that I spend every birthday cooking Thanksgiving dinner. 😛 Yes, ma’am! I don’t mind cooking, but we’d better get a birthday cake, not some pathetic pumpkin pie with a candle stuck in it! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/28 "2014-10-31T12:22:48Z")
> [@bump](#): > > That’s pretty much my thoughts- I’m a lot more tolerant of weakness and inability, but I’m doubly (at least) intolerant of rinky-dink bullshit, toadying and pointless bureaucracy. This. I’ve always been a stoic sort as far as anger is concerned, but I’ve been told by both family and longtime coworkers that my fuse has shortened considerably in the last few years. I had no idea, tbh. Either I’m more comfortable with confrontation of any sort and/or my tolerance for general bullshit has dramatically dropped and no, I’m not going to keep quiet about it. My only wish is that I don’t turn into my mother. She always had a temper and it dramatically increased before she was diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/29 "2014-10-31T12:37:25Z")
Mellower for sure. In hindsight, most of my anger as an adolescent and young adult was in reaction to being afraid and feeling powerless. At 41, I feel much more in control of my life - more financially secure, more valued and respected at work, more able to avoid engaging with people who don’t make me happy - and I think it shows in my demeanor. ---
**Author:** ![Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obnoxious_Hood_Ornament)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/30 "2014-10-31T13:58:38Z")
I’ve always been impressively cynical, but as the years go by I get better at compartmentalizing my various perspectives. I fully expect my fellow man to disappoint me at almost every opportunity – I no longer let that bother me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/31 "2014-10-31T14:26:43Z")
I’ve gotten about as irritated as before; no more, no less - but I’m still in my 20s. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/32 "2014-10-31T15:26:27Z")
I voted “more mellow”, but it’s not precisely with years. I had a rather nasty temper when I was young. After some deep introspection in my teens, I decided that I really didn’t like it, and set about deliberately changing it. It was sort of psychological self-surgery; I systematically rewired my reactions to most of the things that made me angry toward humor and a sort of magnanimous cynicism. There’s still a vein of anger to be tapped when it’s really justified, but overall, the changes have held. Only genuinely serious things piss me off. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/33 "2014-10-31T16:50:13Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Yes, ma’am! I don’t mind cooking, but we’d better get a birthday cake, not some pathetic pumpkin pie with a candle stuck in it! 😛 A Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake sounds good. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bouncer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@Bouncer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bouncer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/34 "2014-10-31T16:58:49Z")
I’m on the fence. I’m more mellow frequently, but when I’m in a mood I’m like Lewis Black. Just this sputtering uncomprehending fury at just how dumb people are sometimes. 😛 Regards, -Bouncer- ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/35 "2014-10-31T17:34:09Z")
Probably about the same, overall. Different things do and don’t get me upset than used to be the case, but overall, probably about the same as always. Getting older doesn’t even bother me. I’m 60, but I feel more like I’m still in my 40s. It amuses me that there are places where I can get senior discounts and cheap lifetime passes due to my advanced age. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/36 "2014-10-31T17:38:22Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Yes, ma’am! I don’t mind cooking, but we’d better get a birthday cake, not some pathetic pumpkin pie with a candle stuck in it! 😛 _ **Who’s this $#%@! who’s calling my pumpkin pie ‘pathetic’?!?** _ Sorry, couldn’t resist, given the thread topic. 🙂 Besides, my pumpkin pie is a hell of a lot yummier than the typical birthday cake. ---
**Author:** ![TheSeaOtter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed655f/32.png) [@TheSeaOtter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSeaOtter)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/37 "2014-10-31T17:48:00Z")
I don’t think I’m more or less angry at 30 than I was at 18, I’m just angry at different stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Phila444](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba8739/32.png) [@Phila444](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phila444)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/38 "2014-10-31T17:53:52Z")
I’ve always been pretty laid-back, but I’ve definitely become much more mellow over the years. That doesn’t mean I can’t or won’t get pissed off, but it really takes a lot for that to happen. Otherwise, I see no point getting upset over something I have no control over or will probably forget about five minutes later ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/39 "2014-10-31T17:55:13Z")
Definitely mellower. I don’t have to make everyone understand me or like me or think like me. I deal with the unpleasant people that I have to (work, world interaction) and shed the unpleasant people I don’t have to deal with (some people I thought of as friends, ex-husband). I refuse to engage in conversations that serve no purpose than to pit people against each other. I don’t listen to shock jocks or talk radio. I keep up with current events, make up my own mind, and refuse to be drawn into political discussions. When I finally learned to say “no thanks” without offering an explanation of why not, my life became much easier. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069/40 "2014-10-31T18:32:09Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > _ **Who’s this $#%@! who’s calling my pumpkin pie ‘pathetic’?!?** _ > > Sorry, couldn’t resist, given the thread topic. 🙂 > > Besides, my pumpkin pie is a hell of a lot yummier than the typical birthday cake. _ **Who the %#^$ is trying to feed me slimy mushy VEGETABLE goo instead of birthday cake?!** _ 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-got-angrier-as-youve-gotten-older/703069.md?page=3)