Bitterness Can Cause Disease

Giving bitter people yet another thing to be bitter about.

A new study at Concordia University has found that bitterness can cause illness (in addition to social isolation and a role in the Twilight series.) In “Embitterment: Societal, Psychological and Clinical Perspectives,” a research team found that persistent bitterness could affect organ function, immune response, and even susceptibility to disease. Associate Psychology Professor Carsten Wrosch said negative emotions may trigger the release of cortisol into a person’s circulation and influence other bodily systems. In the article, he attributed bitterness primarily to the way people process their own failures. As the old adage goes, “he who has never tasted what is bitter does not know what is sweet, and he who has tasted too much bitter lays down and dies.”