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A recent study led by Stanford Medicine scientists revealed how women of color are more prone to developing autoimmune disorders from internalizing their feelings and emotions.
However, women of color haven’t exactly been made to feel like their feelings are warranted. Stereotypes such as the ‘mad Black woman’ so often rears its ugly head in our communities and has created a not so safe place by portraying Black women as inherently angry and irrational. This harmful trope not only invalidates Black women’s genuine emotions but also pressures them to suppress their feelings to avoid being labeled.
Well, this cultural silencing has exacerbated health disparities, making it a matter of life and death.
New research highlights a startling connection between suppressed anger and the rise of autoimmune disorders in women of color. The findings shed light on the damaging effects of internalized rage and the societal pressures that compel women, particularly women of color, to remain silent in the face of injustice.
The study reveals that a molecule produced by the X chromosome in every female cell can generate antibodies against a woman’s own tissues. This groundbreaking discovery helps explain why women are disproportionately affected by autoimmune diseases.
In the United States alone, between 24 and 50 million people suffer from these conditions, with four out of five being women. Diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, scleroderma, and fibromyalgia showcase a stark gender disparity, with lupus affecting women nine times more than men and Sjogren’s syndrome nearly twenty times more.
Dr. Howard Chang, a professor of dermatology and genetics and investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute says, “As a practicing physician, I see a lot of lupus and scleroderma patients because those autoimmune disorders manifest in the skin. The great majority of these patients are women.”
This prevalence is linked to the X chromosome and a molecule called Xist, which prevents female cells from activating a double dose of genes. Chang’s research suggests that this special RNA from the second X chromosome plays a significant role in the development of these diseases.
Dr. Gabor Maté, a renowned trauma and stress physician, emphasizes that repressed anger often manifests as autoimmune disease. In his book “When the Body Says No,” Maté describes how “nice people” who suppress their emotions are more prone to these conditions.
Additionally, psychology expert Maytal Eyal concurs, noting that societal expectations for women to be perpetually pleasant and self-sacrificing contribute to chronic illness.
Eyal’s research highlights that women account for nearly 80% of autoimmune disease cases and experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and PTSD compared to men.
“Such jarring disparities cannot be accounted for by genetic and hormonal factors alone; psychosocial factors play an important role as well,” Eyal wrote. “Specifically, it seems that the very virtues our culture rewards in women-agreeability, extreme selflessness, and suppression of anger-may predispose us to chronic illness and disease.”
This self-silencing, identified by Harvard psychologist Dana Jack over forty years ago, is a common pattern among women with depression. Women who self-silence often engage in compulsive caretaking and inhibit self-expression, which can lead to serious health issues.
For women of color, the situation is even more dire. A 2020 study found an increased incidence of autoimmune diseases in individuals with high stress and depressive conditions. There are factors that Black women suffer from at higher rates. In 2022, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh discovered that women of color who frequently suppress their anger are 70% more likely to experience increased carotid atherosclerosis, a condition linked to higher heart attack risks. Other studies have associated self-silencing with irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, and cancer among women.
The evidence suggests that it is crucial for women, especially women of color, to stop self-silencing and express their emotions healthily. Embracing and voicing emotions productively can be a vital step toward preventing the onset of autoimmune diseases and promoting overall well-being.
The societal shift toward validating and addressing the emotional needs of Black women and women of color is essential, and should be treated as such.
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