As high school students, our daily lives can be emotional rollercoasters due to constant academic and social pressures. Whether it’s because of frustrating school projects or friend group drama, anger is an emotion that we can’t seem to escape.

Because of the way many of us are exposed to anger, we almost always see anger as a negative, destructive emotion. After all, it does seem like the worst aspects of human behavior come from anger — we say things we don’t mean, make rash decisions, and hurt those around us. However, there is a positive side to anger. For example, protestors are often driven by anger towards injustice in society and take to the streets. Inventors push towards finding a solution when they are frustrated at a recurring problem. Feeling anger is proof of empathy and ambition, and should not be cast away or dismissed. When harnessed appropriately, anger can be mobilized as a vehicle for change; it is only when the emotion is uncontrolled that it becomes negative.

Some of the most recognizable activists used these strategies. Mahatma Gandhi, a pioneer in the Indian independence movement, is globally renowned for setting landmark precedents for nonviolent protests. However, his advocacy of peace coexisted with his anger, the latter of which even pushed his cause forward. In an article from The Guardian, Gandhi’s grandson discussed the teachings and lessons of his grandfather, stating that Mahatma Gandhi “saw anger as a good thing, as the fuel for change.” While we often perceive Gandhi as a symbol of tranquility and stability, it is important to recognize that his journey was powered by a less pretty emotion ­— anger.

Research corroborates occasional anger as a positive influence in our lives. In 2017, Psychology Today reported that anger activates the left anterior cortex, which is associated with positive approach behaviors that push us to pursue our goals and think logically. In other words, anger is fundamentally an expression of intense passion for a larger cause. It inspires individuals to achieve their goals, acting as a fuel to keep them going despite challenges. According to research from November 2023 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, anger can be a powerful tool for motivation. Anger makes us want to see immediate change. Our brains are motivated to use the resources at our disposal to engineer a solution exponentially faster than if we were just disappointed or satisfied.

Anger presents us with a very important choice. We can become an “anger architect,” someone who mobilizes the positive side to their anger, or an “anger apologist,” someone who succumbs to negative anger. Choosing the path of an anger architect doesn’t require hours of therapy or anger management classes. To avoid the dam of uncontrollable anger breaking in our brains, we simply need to take control of our emotions and evaluate our anger holistically. And there is a simple tool to do so — the anger audit. When we are angry, we often hear people tell us to take ten seconds to get rid of our anger, to suppress and ignore the strong emotions we feel. The anger audit takes a different approach, aiming to understand the root cause behind the anger and work towards a solution with three easy steps.

The first step is to inspect. Just like a building architect, we need to assess the situation. Ask yourself: “Why am I angry?”

The second step is to create a blueprint. We need to draft a plan, without which our final product might come crashing to the ground. Ask yourself: “What do I want to get out of my anger?”

The final step is to build. Here’s the moment where our anger turns into action, either by destroying or creating. We have the choice. Ask yourself: “What am I going to do with my anger?”

The Princeton community has seen its share of angry students. From PHS students’ passionate showings at board meetings to rallies and protests on current issues such as the liberation of Palestine and Black Lives Matter, it is clear that the diversity of opinions found in Princeton is great. However, hosting open discourse on relevant, heated, modern-day issues comes with the responsibility of managing and understanding the intense emotions behind dissagreement. To promote constructive dialogue, it is crucial to be aware of and leverage anger to forge progress collectively in our community.

When you become an anger architect, you can make your anger a superpower instead of a liability. Although we’ll never rid the world of anger, we can use the power and momentum of it and turn it into a powerful force that can spur positive change. If we collectively strive to become anger architects, perhaps the world would become a more empathetic and resilient place.