5 Ways Wrath Is Keeping You Poor

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Our series on the seven deadly sins has looked at gluttony, greed, envy, sloth, and pride. Now, it's time for wrath. The word itself is not often used in everyday speech, but the definition on dictionary.com tells us it is: "strong, stern, or fierce anger; deeply resentful indignation; ire; vengeance or punishment as the consequence of anger." Wrath is an extreme emotion, and a negative one. And when you hold onto an emotion as powerful as wrath, you and your finances can suffer the consequences. Here's how.

1. It Keeps You Focused on the Wrong Things

You may have many legitimate reasons to be angry. Maybe someone betrayed you at work, and took your promotion. Or, got you fired. Perhaps you were not given a deal you were promised, or you are just severely angry with your current lot in life. Whatever it is, it's not helping you to move on and be successful. Holding in this kind of anger and resentment takes a lot of time and energy, and it's all negative. But if you can instead get past the anger and hostility, and channel your energies into something good, you'll do a lot better financially.

2. It Can Make You Ill

The occasional outburst of anger is fine. If it's quick, and results in releasing some pent-up frustration — a punching bag can be a good investment — it can actually be good for you. But holding in anger, and resenting people, can have negative consequences on your health. As we all know, being unhealthy in America can be an expensive proposition. Anger can weaken your immune system, with a recent study showing that recalling experiences that made people angry caused a six-hour dip in the antibody immunoglobulin. Anger is also a very stressful emotion, and the additional stress on your heart and other vital organs can take a serious toll. Deep-seated anger can turn into a deep depression, and that, too, can have devastating effects on your body and your health. Any and all of these issues can be expensive to treat, and when you're ill, you are not going to be as successful as when you're in good health.

3. It Clouds Your Judgment

People who experience wrath may not literally "see red" (although there is evidence that it can happen), but there is definitely something muddying their thought processes. When you're filled with anger and resentment, you are more likely to be impulsive, and react without thinking things through. For instance, snap-judgments on purchases can have long-lasting effects on your financial situation, and may even result in situations that decrease your credit score. There are also issues with acting out at people, and this could lead to problems at work, at home, or with friends. Any decisions you make while suffering from this kind of negative emotion may be completely out of character, and you will have to live with the consequences long after wrath has left your life.

4. It Can Ruin Your Career

You do not want to be "that guy" or "that woman" in the office. You know the one. He walks around muttering to himself all day. He flies off the handle. He is bitter and angry in every conversation or meeting. And honestly, his work isn't all that good. Clients don't like meeting with him. He takes criticism poorly. Everyone knows, he'll be let go soon enough.

It can require a long, hard look in the mirror to know if you are becoming that person. But you should already know, deep down, that things at work are being affected by your resentment and bitterness. If people are going out of their way to avoid you in the halls, or you're having trouble concentrating because you're so angry, then you know wrath is taking its toll. Hopefully, it's something you can catch now, and reverse the trend.

5. It Can Have Legal Implications

Being angry is one thing, but when it turns into the search for vengeance, you could be on the shaky path to breaking the law. It could start out as something harmless, such as sending someone an anonymous letter (which, to be fair, is never harmless to the person receiving it, despite what they may have done). But as you are gripped by wrath and revenge, your judgment will be affected, and you may find yourself doing things that are not even close to legal, like vandalism, harassment, perhaps even physical violence. This can, and will, lead to arrest and conviction. Once that's in your life, nothing will ever be the same again. It can destroy your relationships, your job prospects, and eat into whatever savings you may have. Your actions could affect many people in your life, and aside from the financial costs of hiring a lawyer and going to jail, the emotional scars will last a lifetime.