Bryan Johnson explains how meanness harms the person being mean. Within two hours of an angry outburst, heart attack risk jumps almost fivefold. Hostile people heal wounds at 60% the speed of calm people and spike inflammation higher, making kindness a biological advantage for yourself.
The meanest person you know is aging themselves. Multiple studies show that in the 2 hours following an outburst of anger, heart attack risk jumps nearly 5-fold. And it doesn't just stop at the heart. Hostility can slow how fast your body repairs itself. Researchers took 42 couples, gave them identical small wounds, and had them argue. They found the most hostile couples healed at 60% the speed of the calm ones and had bigger spikes of inflammation in their blood. So here's the reframe: meanness is dirty energy. High cortisol cortisol, inflammation, and a burnt-out executive function. Every hostile moment towards someone else is a biological punch in the face for yourself. Kindness is peak human performance. It's as much a gift for your own body as it is for the person on the other end. So next time you want to do this, do this instead.
