Why We’re Hooked on Being Angry

In this episode of the New Ashla Podcast, Michael Perry and Justin Gates unpack why outrage has become so seductive in modern life and why so many people are unconsciously hooked on anger. We explore how outrage can feel like clarity, purpose, and even moral strength, while often functioning more like stimulation, identity, and instant belonging. The conversation looks at the psychological pull of being right, the way media and social platforms reward emotional intensity, and how shared anger can create fragile forms of community built more on opposition than truth. We also examine the deeper cost of living in chronic reactivity, including emotional exhaustion, reduced empathy, strained relationships, and the loss of nuance and curiosity. From there, we shift into a more conscious path forward by talking about how to engage with the world without being possessed by it, how to build meaning and connection in healthier ways, and how curiosity, discernment, and grounded conversation can become acts of strength in a culture addicted to outrage.

New Ashla Links:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the book here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (New Ashla)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Justin Gates-Author)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website

Key Topics

• Why outrage feels powerful, clarifying, and meaningful in the moment
• The psychological pull of anger, certainty, identity, and moral superiority
• How outrage creates quick belonging and tribe-based connection
• Why communities built around shared opposition often lack real depth
• The role of media, algorithms, and attention economics in amplifying anger
• How chronic outrage affects the nervous system, empathy, relationships, and perception
• The danger of groupthink and the loss of nuance, curiosity, and independent thought
• The difference between conscious engagement and emotional possession
• How to build healthier meaning through creation, service, contribution, and real community
• Practical ways to have conversations across difference with more humility, regulation, and discernment

Keywords
outrage culture, anger addiction, reactivity, social media, tribalism, moral certainty, identity, belonging, groupthink, media incentives, emotional regulation, discernment, curiosity, polarization, attention economy, nervous system, conscious engagement, community, spiritual growth, psychological awareness