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Balls to violence

Then there’s testosterone. “It’s the aggression hormone that made us hunt prey and fight of attackers,” says Pease. “It’s the hormone of success. But in the wrong hands – or testicles – it’s dangerous.” In our modern mammoth-free world, testosterone-triggered aggression often finds an outlet in violent, anti-social behaviour. It’s no coincidence, says Pease, that the highest male crime bracket is teens and early twenties, when testosterone levels are highest.

There’s also evidence that aggression may be genetic. Studies at the University of Pittsburgh have revealed variations in a serotonin-regulating gene that make some men more aggressive.

As the pressures on us as fathers, bosses and partners increase, so do the stresses that fuel aggressive behaviour. Longer working hours and spiralling debt have turned modern life into a powder keg. “High population density means we have much more contact with strangers creating more stressful encounters,” says Dr Nick Newton-Fisher, lecturer in biological anthropology at the University of Kent.

It may be an integral part of maleness, but aggression is avoidable. “We can’t excuse aggression as ‘only natural’, blaming our genes and abdicating responsibility,” says O’Hara. “Zidane may have been provoked, but he didn’t have to retaliate.”

Keeping a lid on it

So how can you control it? One study in the American Journal of Psychiatry showed omega 3s (found in oily fish) can have a positive effect on behaviour, including aggression. Anger management courses can help too. But the most widely acknowledged aggression-manager is the simplest: exercise.

“Research shows active boys are the least likely to be involved in aggressive acts and young men with criminal records show the least involvement with sport,” says Pease.

“Sport releases endorphins which create euphoria,” Barton continues, “It’s only when it’s too competitive that stress build-up can negate these positive effects.”

Barton also recommends a trick he teaches sportsmen. “When people get aggressive they develop tunnel vision, but expanding your vision makes it difficult to access a negative state,” Barton explains. Do this by focusing on a tiny detail of an object in front of you. Think of something that makes you angry. Now, still thinking of it, start focusing your awareness more on the periphery of your vision and as far back as you can without moving your head. “You’ll notice a great reduction in anger,” says Barton.

The key is to identify your triggers. “Accept your attempts to overcome it as a challenge,” says Dr Sarah Brewer, author of The Ultimate Stress Buster (Vermillion, £6.99). And you might not headbutt the next bloke who has a pop at your mother.”

Lee Kynaston

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