The Anger Fallacy: Uncovering the Irrationality of the Angry Mindset

By Steven Laurent and Ross G Menzies

Featuring the wisdom and wit of: Confucius, The Bible, Yoda, Billy Connolly, George Bernard Shaw, Jerry Seinfeld, Dale Carnegie, Ricky Gervais, Larry David, and many more.


Its been 10 years since this ground-breaking, best-selling book told us the inconvenient truth that anger is such a toxic human emotion that we should try to avoid it at all times — even when we think it might be helpful! It was written by clinical psychologists Dr Steven Laurent and Ross Menzies, who passionately believe in the need to reduce anger and have seen the positive effects of reduced anger in their own therapy clients.

Today, this book's message for all of us is as vital and relevant as ever.

The anger and division we see today so freely expressed on our screens and the streets of our cities and suburbs may sweep us up in emotion, compelling us to take our stand and join our angry voices with others. After all, how else do we create the change we want? Surely our anger is right and we must use it to drive action and strongly oppose those who disagree? 

Well, actually, all anger does is hurt both your mental health and the health and wellbeing of those around you. It is rarely ever helpful to one’s own benefit, let alone any discussion, debate, or argument toward solutions. Its destructive effects are much more toxic than previously acknowledged. In fact, when we are angry, we hold an irrational mindset that blinds us to self-righteous judgements propelling our behaviour in all the wrong ways.

But it isn't always easy to avoid getting angry, especially when we see something we believe needs to be stopped, changed, solved, or avoided. 

So, to help ourselves and the complex world in which we live, we need to learn more about anger, its uses, its origins, and how we might substitute empathy and understanding in its place. We need to learn why we get angry and how to try and lessen and remove our anger to be more effective agents for change in our own lives and those of others. 

So why not make a small investment in good mental health and a better world? Buy a copy of the Anger Fallacy today.

" This is a book meant to challenge us. The authors have taken such an engaging and witty approach that the reader is likely to get hooked and will stop to think — to reflect. The humorous story is a device, along with creative metaphors, analogies and dialogue scripts, which the authors use to convey the compelling logic of their argument about the counter-productiveness of anger. I strongly recommend this book. If you are suffering with your anger it will give you a lift. "

— Adjunct Professor Roger Dooley, Clinical Psychologist

About the Authors
Steven Laurent is a clinical psychologist with extensive experience in treating psychiatric disorders. He is a regular guest lecturer at the University of Sydney, where he has taught on Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, and Drug and Alcohol Disorders. At present he works in private practice in the Inner West of Sydney. Steven completed a Masters in Clinical Psychology at UNSW, where his thesis centred on emotion perception in 'psychopaths'. Laurent's interest in anger arose in the 1990s during the completion of undergraduate degrees in Philosophy and Formal Logic at the Sorbonne in Paris. 

Ross G. Menzies has been providing cognitive-behaviour therapy for anxiety, depression, couples conflict and related issues for over two decades and is currently Associate Professor in Health Sciences at the University of Sydney. He is an active researcher and currently holds over $5 million in national competitive research grants. He has produced four books, over 140 international journal manuscripts and book chapters and is regularly invited to speak at conferences and leading universities and institutions around the world. He continues to attract patients from across metropolitan Sydney, rural NSW, interstate and from overseas, with many individuals and families travelling thousands of kilometres to receive treatment at his private practice. The present book is his first major work on anger.

Reader praise for The Anger Fallacy

"An excellent and most importantly contrarian view, challenging conventional views of anger. This book provides insightful angles on anger, and what lies beneath it.”

" The Anger Fallacy is one of the best treatment books that I have ever read. Uniquely, it is a tremendous resource for both patients and clinicians. It is accessible and amusing such that patients need not be overwhelmed, yet sophisticated and layered to the point that I found myself continuously harvesting pearls after multiple reads.”

"As a clinical psychologist, I can honestly say this is the finest book on anger I have ever explored.”

"Good, clear writing and a must needed message. I give this book to everyone I care about."

"I find most books written by psychologists to be overly theoretical, technical, and written solely for other academics. The beauty of the Anger Fallacy is it takes the complex concepts of anger and presents them in a way that everyone can understand."

"Excellent, informative and insightful. I unhesitatingly recommend this."

"This is more than just a book of ideas. It is a genuine therapy tool. Practical exercises are scattered throughout the book. If someone reads this book to help them deal with anger better they are likely to finish up dealing with anger better. And isn't that the whole point?"

"This is such a good book — I have started recommending it to anyone who is struggling with being angry. It is easy to read, non-judgmental, and helpful.”