It has been postulated that there are six emotions which are determined by biological factors, to wit, happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust. Anger is characterised by the great strength of its impulses and the high intensity of the emotion it generates. It is almost as universal as fear as a human instinct, and one of its curious features is its close association with the other instinct of tenderness and protectiveness.
Today we find rage and anger featuring in many of our social contacts, from sports performances to driving cars on the public highway, and often it proves hard to control. Anger is defined as violent, impetuous action, while rage is madness or insanity. An angry person interprets any situation as presenting some kind of personal insult or threat. Its perception will induce physical symptoms such as quickened pulse, facial flushing, frowning and clenching of teeth. Facial expression have been taken in various human cultures as indicating underlying changes of attitude and posture. Thus, a change in someone's facial expression and gestures will warn one to prepare for defensive action or to relax, as the case may be.
Moreover, in any interpersonal encounter language tends inevitably to be supplemented by gesture. It is claimed that, even when alone and answering the telephone, we gesture without being aware of it. When at a temporary loss for words, our instinct is to resort to gesture to clarify communication; it helps us to find the right words.
Gestures have been discussed at some length in New Scientist for April 8. They were probably our earliest mode of communication, whether constructive or threatening. Later on, speech dominated over more primitive methods of expression, and it is interesting to note that that region of the brain known as Broca's area is involved not only in speech but also in gesturing, showing the intimate connection between the two. It has been found that the imparting of information is more effective, indeed, if it involves gesture in addition to words.
It is worth noting that in certain unusual circumstances, gesturing has largely replaced speech; for example, in closed religious communities existing under a vow of silence, in gambling on the racecourse and on the Stock Exchange, and in communicating with deaf individuals. Not surprisingly, when sheer rage possesses someone to the point of rendering him (nearly always him) incoherent, he will resort to a complex of gestures which produce in the bystanders the impression of sheer madness. What this means is that it is probably far more dangerous to argue with an opponent through gestures than by plain speech.