You need to calm down! Study reveals women see angry men as less intelligent

Men who don't have control over their temper, no matter how much they try to keep their macho, angry image intact, will be seen as stupid.

The portrayal of the brooding man with seething rage may be attractive in pop culture, from Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders to the unhinged Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Even BookTok's popular romance books spare no expense in creating male characters who ‘hate everyone but the female lead.’ Anger has long been romanticized, even in Indian pop culture, dating back to the 70s with Amitabh Bachchan's Angry Young Man era.

Anger is not an attractive quality. (Pexels)

But, in reality, anger in men is a major turn-off. A study published in Evolutionary Psychology reveals that men's anger actually makes them appear less intelligent to women. Let's see why this happens.

Anger and perceived intelligence

Men with anger issues are perceived as less intelligent, as their inability to regulate emotions can signal immaturity. (Pexels)

The study examined 148 heterosexual couples with participants in the age group of 18 to 80 years old. The survey included questionnaires with measured relationship satisfaction and perceived intelligence.

The findings were clear. Based on the questionnaires' responses, higher levels of anger were constantly rated as less intelligent by their partners. Anger shows the inability to regulate emotions, and handling emotions is a good impression of cognitive ability too. Furthermore, anger is a very strong emotion that sometimes it can even overshadow other emotions and qualities. So, even if someone is loyal and puts in effort, anger can bring things back to square one.

Anger and relationship satisfaction

Anger also influences relationship satisfaction and happiness. The researchers found that when women viewed their partners as less intelligent because of their anger, both individuals in the relationship reported feeling less satisfied.

Anger is detrimental to a relationship's longevity as well because the study showed that angry men had more breakups in the past.

The study concluded that subconsciously qualities like kindness and emotional stability are connected with intelligence. This further highlights the non-negotiable importance of emotional regulation in relationships.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice.