Many of us know the feeling: a sudden rush of anger over a seemingly minor thing like a colleague’s irksome email, getting a customer service bot, seeing dishes in the sink or bumper-to-bumper traffic when you’re running late. Disproportionate reactions follow, and it can be easy to snap at a loved one or excessively honk the car horn. Such irritable outbursts may be especially rife now due to heightened stress during the holidays.
Defined as an excessive propensity to anger, irritability is often triggered by perceived threats or frustration around things not going our way. And whenever you feel it, you’re not alone. In a 2024 survey of nearly