Effects of yelling at spouse (5+ List)

In this guide, we will discuss the “effects of yelling at spouse” and how to cope with it.

What are the effects of yelling at your spouse?

The effects of yelling at your spouse are fear and stress, and according to a study, our brains perceive yelling as a dangerous situation, and the effect of yelling on an adult is similar to that on a child. The effects of yelling at a spouse can also be very long-term, and the person may suffer from depression, anxiety, or even PTSD.

What to do if the wife screams and yells all the time?

Here are some things you can do if your wife screams and yells all the time:

• Take some time off and be apart
• Talk to her about how her screaming affects you
• Listen to the general complaints she is yelling about
• Don’t engage her when she is yelling
• Tell her that screaming and yelling is hard for you to follow
• Try counselling

Yelling and Screaming in Relationships 

Yelling and screaming in relationships can become very common if your partner is quick to get angry, yell, or throw things. It is healthy to express anger, and even though yelling on occasion is normal and can even help release tension, frustration and pain, when it is not happening in a safe manner, the relationship can go downhill very fast. Yelling and screaming in relationships should not be done to make the other person feel scared.

There are many effects of yelling at your spouse, one of them is fear.

This is the same effect it would have on a child since the brain perceives it is a potentially dangerous situation inducing fear.

If you need to let your spouse know there was something they did that really bothered you, yelling is not the appropriate way. 

Women get really scared and traumatized when their husbands yell at them in front of his family.

It is not a secret that we are emotional beings, and on many occasions, we act moved by how we feel and experience at a certain moment.

When we are frustrated, angry or sad we desperately seek to be heard by yelling, crying, throwing things, etc.

Even though having a happy marriage takes time and effort from both parties, you need to consider that there could be potential threats and danger when someone acts moved by rage and anger. 

Yelling is considered by many researchers and clinicians as a form of verbal abuse.

However, we have to recognize we all have resorted to yelling, probably more than once in our lifetime.

This type of behavior can have short and long term consequences, and usually, it is the result of an ineffective way of communication we tend to replicate from our parents or previous relationships.

Therefore, if we consciously think about it, no one deserves to be yelled at.

When you are in a relationship where yelling is frequent, respect loses its meaning and the marriage tends to deteriorate.

Consequently, the spouse who is being yelled at will eventually become numb and love and affection will turn into fear.

In addition, constantly disrespecting our spouse will not guarantee your point of view getting heard faster or more efficiently, on the contrary. 

Yelling as the need to control

Yelling, screaming and eventually swearing, will make us become bullies. No one enjoys being around a bully, nevertheless, living with one.

Bullies normally feel the need to control and dominate the other person by using abusive language.

Usually, a person that uses this type of communication to get what they want from their spouse has low self-esteem and a lack of communication skills.

Subsequently, if you are the one being bullied, expecting your partner to change their behavior will not work until you start changing your own.

When we are married, we tend to wait for the other spouse to change rather than effectively addressing their part in it. 

Controlling your spouse or being controlled is not healthy, just as there are house rules about who is doing what, there needs to be marriage rules.

For instance, respecting your partner is a must, same as your freedom and privacy. 

So you may be wondering, what can I do to deal with my husband?

What can I do so my spouse stops yelling?

First, you need to stop thinking it is a normal situation since we tend to tell ourselves “married people have fights and arguments all the time, it is normal”.

Yes, married couples do get into arguments because we disagree about many things but you should not be treated with disrespect, being humiliated, belittled or with abusive language.

Once you start tolerating and accepting the situation, it will continue because it is a vicious cycle. 

In addition, if your spouse starts calling you names, screaming at you or making you feel useless, you need to assess and consider if it is better for you to walk away from your spouse unless they really commit to changing their behavior.

However, many abusive relationships continue the cycle by saying things will change, and they actually don’t.

Undoubtedly, they will continue if you let them.

On many occasions, your spouse will try to justify their behavior as not being able to control themselves or having a short temper but the truth is they are choosing not to control their emotional response.

Think about how they choose to react when you are with friends, at work or in public places.

If they tend to control their emotions in those scenarios then they can control themselves around you, it is just they decide not to. 

Therefore, if you want the yelling and screaming to stop, you need to act accordingly to let them know you have had enough.

This is also considered a very toxic environment to raise your kids, if you already have them or during your pregnancy, especially because it can affect yours and their mental health. 

When Yelling becomes dangerous

Some may argue words are just words, but they can have quite an impact on how we perceive ourselves especially when they come from someone we love or care about.

As opposed to hitting, words leave an invisible mark that can be felt through emotional pain so it basically has the same effect as physical abuse. In many cases, one follows the other. 

As we have discussed, when we are being yelled at, our brain processes the information and activates our fear response, meaning fighting, running away or freezing.

Our survival mode will be on to avoid getting hurt. If your spouse started with yelling and now got physical, chances are they will continue to do so.

Take action, do not let the situation escalate any further or wait for a second time to do something about it.

However, it is important to read the context very well.

If you are going to walk away because you can’t take it anymore, the recommendation is not doing it out of the blue and leaving your partner in rage.

Communicate your intention from walking away from the situation so you can both have a time out to think and then resume the conversation when both are calm. 

Always remember that no one should feel obliged to constant abuse, especially if your spouse does not have the willingness or commitment to make an effort to break this pattern.

Also, if you feel your life could be in danger it is necessary for you to remove yourself from the situation and ask for help. 

Rage and anger

If your spouse has rage outbursts or anger is the emotion that is frequently taking over when there is an argument, it means they lack communication skills.

In addition, our own past experiences mould our behavior without us being fully aware of it.

For some people, their immediate reaction when being yelled or screamed at is going into a defensive mode or giving them a silent treatment, but this only makes the situation worse. 

When we are moved by rage or anger we tend to say things we later regret but the damage has been done no matter how many times we say sorry.

In the end, all is left is resentment, frustration, and emotional pain where blaming the other is the easiest thing to do instead of solving the problem.

Consequently, it may be helpful to find professional counseling when things get out of control.

Alternative behavior 

If you prefer handling things on your own and keep it between you and your spouse then consider the following alternatives:

• Before engaging in a fight or argument, you both need to be willing to break the cycle saying something like “the last time we argued about this we both reacted ineffectively so we should try to approach it by communicating better.”
• Acknowledge what you are feeling and how to body reacts to it. When we are angry or frustrated, our body starts to react by activating us physiologically. Next time you could say “I am starting to feel that I want to scream and yell. I can feel the heat and the tension rising, let’s take a few minutes to breathe deeply so we can calm down and then discuss this calmly”. 
• After a discussion, analyze your own behavior and let your partner do the same. Here it is easy to fall back into a “blaming, who did what” pattern. Determine and commit to how your behavior can affect your partner’s behavior and what is needed next time to become more effective when communicating your feelings or disagreement.

Is raising your voice disrespectful?

Raising your voice can be considered as disrespectful, especially during a conversation or when arguing with someone even more so if our main purpose is to be heard, people can still hear us with a regular tone of voice.

When we raise our voice, there is a higher risk of shouting, yelling, or screaming at other people.

Effects of Yelling While Pregnant

Effects of yelling while pregnant, can be extremely detrimental, and they may involve physical problems such as heart rate variability, blood pressure problems, hormonal problems or psychological effects like depression, anxiety or stress.

Yelling is a dangerous thing if done often and when someone is in a different physical state, like when someone is pregnant, it can be even more dangerous, regardless of whether the person yelling is the pregnant one or they are the ones being yelled at.

It is commonly seen that as a pregnancy progresses, the person may experience significant emotional changes corresponding with the hormonal changes that happen to them, and the other stress that is coming about in their body.

Pregnancy can be a very difficult process on the body, it makes the body change in extreme ways, which may also add to the frustration felt by the pregnant person, and this can often lead to yelling.

The frequent mood swings related to pregnancy can also lead to yelling, and many pregnant people often have arguments with their partner, which may involve yelling out in their irritation.

The hormones responsible for yelling while pregnant are mostly estrogen and progesterone hormones and the effects of yelling while pregnant can not only be inimical for the mother, but also for the partner because it increases their stress as well.

What is even worse is that the partner of the pregnant person may not be able to retaliate or yell back, or even try to raise their voice in an effort to calm the other person don, which may be detrimental to their mental health, and they arrival of the child could get associated with more stress than happiness.

Lastly, some of the effects of yelling while pregnant can also lead to cramping, headaches, nausea and sleep apnea, and in some cases, prolonged yelling while pregnant has also been linked to premature labour. 

Effects of Yelling Around a Baby

Effects of yelling around a baby can be seen in the way they develop and their cognitive growth as well as physical, and it has been seen that babies who are raised in an environment of yelling and screaming can be stunted in both their physical as well as psychological growth.

It may not seem like there would be any significant effects of yelling around the baby because they don’t have the cognitive skills to understand the nuances of yelling or screaming around them, but they can discern negative vibes around them fairly easily.

The baby who is hearing too much yelling around them may not realise that they are hearing anger, but they can sense that there is something wrong, and they may often cry, which may aggravate the people who are yelling even more because it might raise their stress levels.

Furthermore, yelling around the baby might also instill in them the behavior of being loud to make any point, and soon the baby might develop into a child that just cries and yells to seek attention for just about anything.

Remember, the negative effects of yelling around a baby far outweigh whatever reasoning you have to do it in the first place, and if you are in such a situation, you need to find more constructive ways to get your point across.

Effects of Yelling at Someone

The effects of yelling at someone may include psychological effects like depression, anxiety, stress or sadness, and some physical effects may include palpitations, increased heart rate, tightness in the chest, sweating, or even raised temperature.

The effects of yelling at someone may not only show up in the person being yelled at, but also in the person doing the yelling, because when we yell at someone, our body also goes into a hyperactive state that makes our brains think that we are under attack, which makes it start preparing for a danger that will never come.

This leads to our autonomic nervous system acting up, and being strained constantly, and it may become increasingly hard to relax.

There has also been some evidence that when someone yells at others all the time it can make their mood constantly low when they are not yelling, and at the same time also teaches them to use yelling to get just about any point across, and they may often find that they are not able to communicate without yelling at all.

The effects of yelling at someone are severe enough to ensure that the person stop doing them, and some possible ways to stop yelling at others are as follows:

• Meditate.
• Find ways to relax
• Seek therapy
• Tell people to walk out when you yell.
• Try to modulate your voice on purpose.

Yelling and Screaming in Relationships

Yelling and screaming in relationships may lead to, or even be caused by depression in one or both of the partners, especially if the man in the relationship is yelling and screaming more often because men who are depressed are more likely to show this type of agitation.

Men who have a tendency to communicate things through yelling and screaming tend to be depressed or stressed in a lot of cases, and when the symptoms of depression or anxiety manifest in this form it can lead to similar problems in the person being yelled at as well, which is why nearly every marriage therapist and psychologist will tell you that yelling and screaming in relationships is simply not okay.

Many people might notice that their partner may be yelling and screaming much more suddenly, even if the relationship has been going on for some time, when they are going through a stressful time, which may be an indication that you might want to get in touch with them properly when they are not agitated and see if they are experiencing other symptoms of depression or stress.

Yelling and screaming in relationships can also lead to a break in the relationship so no matter who is doing the yelling, it is important to address it in a calm, rational way. 

If there is suddenly too much yelling and screaming in a relationship that you just can’t cope with anymore, you can try some of the following things:

• Try couples counselling
• Talk to the person when they are not yelling and screaming.
• Refuse to engage them when they are yelling and screaming
• Don’t yell back.
• Don’t make excuses for their behavior.
• If there is threat of violence apart from the yelling and screaming, leave.

My husband shouts when angry

If your husband shouts when angry then there are a few things you may be able to do to make the situation better.

Its important that you do these things when the shouting has ceased and not when the mood is tense or you are both upset at each other.

If you are in fear for your life or at risk of any violence then you should contact the police immediately and seek refuge at a neighbours house or a safe place outside of your house until the police get there.

If your husband shouts when angry then follow these tips:

• walk away when the shouting starts
• do not shout back
• suggest counselling for him/both of you
• demand respect
• do not get physical
• discuss your differences the next day
• report the abuse if all fails

Why is this blog about the “effects of yelling at spouse” important?

As discussed, there are only negative psychological effects of yelling at spouse. It is considered a way of abuse even if there is no physical evidence.

If you want to fight for your marriage but after trying everything, consider seeking professional help, otherwise reconsider if you want to keep being married to your spouse, especially if you have kids that indirectly or directly are suffering from the verbal abuse. 

Please feel free to comment in the comments section!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the effects of yelling at spouse

References 

Michael, D. (2012, Aug.) How To Stop Your Partner From Screaming At You (And When To Walk Away). Retrieved from yourtango.com

Hutt, J. (2008, Oct.) When Yelling is a pattern. Retrieved from goodtherapy.org. 

Seltzer, L.F (2015, Aug) Does your partner have rage attacks? Here’s what to Do. Retrieved from Psychologytoday.com