6 Minute English – Is aggression useful?

Neil
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Neil…

Catherine
… and I’m Catherine. Hello.

Neil
Hello, Catherine! I want to know, what sort of things make you feel angry?

Catherine
Many things make me feel angry, Neil. But one thing that makes me regularly angry is when people put the wrong rubbish in the wrong bins.

Neil
Yes, that makes me angry too.

Catherine
Does it?

Neil
It’s not very thoughtful, is it?

Catherine
Not really, no.

Neil
So, you may feel angry about people putting rubbish in the wrong bin but do you get aggressive? That’s behaving in an angry way, looking like you want to argue or even fight with someone?

Catherine
No. I don’t really get aggressive about wheelie bins, to be honest.

Neil
Well I tend to control my anger too and keep calm but I have been known to react – especially if someone is damaging some of my property.

Catherine
Wow. Really?

Neil
Yeah. I can’t stand it. It comes out of the blue – it’s completely unexpected. But I’m glad to say I feel quite calm today.

Catherine
I’m glad to hear it, Neil. But today we are talking about aggression and we’ll look at what we can learn about human aggression by some examples from the animal kingdom.

Neil
That’s right. Now, are you ready to answer today’s quiz question, Catherine?

Catherine
In a very calm and non-aggressive way, I would like you to give me the question.

Neil
When attacked, what does a baboon typically do to show aggression? Does it…
a) beat its chest
b) yawn and show its teeth
or c) laugh and roll on the ground

Catherine
Well… I’d love to think of an angry baboon laughing and rolling on the ground. But I’m going to go for b) yawn and show its teeth.

Neil
OK. Well, we’ll see if you right or wrong a bit later on. Now, Catherine, how do you usually act when you’re angry or upset about something?

Catherine
I generally let people know how I feel to be honest. I don’t go over the top and hit people, but also I don’t sulk about things. And sulk means when you refuse to smile or speak because you want to let people know you are upset about something.

Neil
Sulking is quite childish, isn’t it Catherine?

Catherine
It is. Are you a sulker, Neil?

Neil
I don’t sulk, I don’t think. But as I said I don’t often get angry. I’m a very well balanced and grounded person, Catherine.

Catherine
Really, very good. I’m pleased to hear it, Neil. Anyway, well balanced means sensible and in control of your emotions. And grounded means mentally and emotionally stable. Is that what you’re saying, Neil?

Neil
Yes, that’s me. But let’s listen to Professor Simon Underdown talking about human behaviour. Can you spot a phrase that means ‘the opposite side to an idea’?EINSERT

Simon Underdown, Principal Lecturer in Human evolution at Oxford Brookes University
One of the things humans are incredibly good at doing is being psychologists. We’e very good at reading situations that we find ourselves in […] We’re extremely good at picking up on signals. What we can then do is trigger the appropriate response. If it’s an empathetic response we may well need to then be sympathetic, we maybe need to show our sort of fluffy side if you want. But on the flipside from an evolutionary point of view the reason we are so successful and we’re still here is because we can, and when we need to, react aggressively to situations.

Neil
Did you spot the phrase? Flipside means the opposite side to an idea. And being aggressive is the flipside of being fluffy and sympathetic.

Catherine
Fluffy, by the way, is an adjective we often use to describe soft animal fur or feathers on young animals or soft toys for children. But here fluffy means behaviour that is soft and unthreatening so it’s the opposite of aggressive.

Neil
And if you are empathetic you are able to share or understand another person’s feelings. That sounds like me! I’m an excellent empathizer, aren’t I, Catherine?

Catherine
Neil, you are absolutely totally full of … empathy.

Neil
Nice pause.

Catherine
Thank you.

Neil
Now, Simon also talks about humans being good at reading situations. What does that mean, Catherine?

Catherine
It means understanding what’s going on. For example, if a male gorilla is screaming and breaking branches, other gorillas will probably see this as a show of aggression.

Neil
The male gorilla screams and breaks branches, signalling to the other gorillas that he’s angry or upset. Signal here means a noise or a movement that gives someone information.

Catherine
And the male gorilla’s signal triggers a response from the other gorillas. This means one thing causes another thing to happen.

Neil
And when a man suddenly punches another man in the face, what signal does that send?

Catherine
Well, I think for me that would be a signal to leave!

Neil
Yes. Quickly.

Catherine
Yes, indeed. And humans usually give signals just like the gorillas do, before they start a fight. So people might shout, or gesture with their arms. And a gesture is a movement made with arms or head to give someone else information. Now then, Neil. Let’s have our quiz question answer please.

Neil
OK, OK, stop waving your arms around. So I asked: When attacked, what does a baboon typically do to show aggression? Does it…a) beat its chest? b) yawn and show its teeth? or c) laugh and roll on the ground?

Catherine
And I said b).

Neil
That’s right. Well done! Now let’s hear today’s words once again.

Catherine
They are:

out of the blue
aggressive
sulk
well balanced
grounded
flipside
fluffy
empathetic
reading situations
signal
triggers a response
gesture

Neil
Well, that’s the end of today’s 6 Minute English. Check out more programmes at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again soon.

Both
Bye.