The Male Anger Epidemic: What it Means for Relationships, Politics, and Everything Else

Dr. Ryan Martin (aka the Anger Professor) is a leading expert on emotional wellness and anger management. He helps people master emotional challenges and harness the power of emotions—especially anger—for personal growth and success. His work focuses on delivering practical, research-backed strategies through clear, direct, and actionable advice. In this presentation, Dr. Martin will focus on the experiences of young men in an ecosystem that is becoming increasingly angry and hostile. Addressing that topic in a recent HuffPost article, Dr. Martin wrote, "Many people are scared, sad and angry right now. It is because of those strong feelings, though, that we should be talking to each other more often — not less. . . . As for me, I want to speak more intentionally with men, especially young men, who may need help and support. I want to be a role model to those who need one. I want to listen more — while still pushing back when I disagree — but always leading with a desire to understand and support. I can’t promise that we’ll always agree (in fact, I’m fairly sure we won’t). I can’t promise that I’ll never make anyone angry (in fact, I’m fairly sure I will). What I can promise is that I’ll listen and that I’ll create a space to share ideas."

More about our speaker

Ryan Martin is the author of How to Deal with Angry People and Why We Get Mad: How to Use Your Anger for Positive Change, where he breaks down why people experience anger, how to channel it productively, and how to effectively engage with others in emotionally charged situations. He hosts The Lantern podcast, a platform for personal stories of resilience, transformation, and emotional insight. In his TED Talk, “Why We Get Mad—and Why It’s Healthy,” Dr. Martin draws from his career studying what makes people mad to explain some of the cognitive processes behind anger—and why a healthy dose of it can actually be useful.

Trained as a counseling psychologist at the University of Southern Mississippi, Dr. Martin first began studying anger after earning his undergraduate degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice from the University of St. Thomas. His clinical work includes serving clients—angry and otherwise—in community mental health centers, college counseling centers, and a VA hospital.

In his role as Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Dr. Martin combines academic leadership with a commitment to public scholarship. His work has been featured by the New York Times, NPR’s Invisibilia, BBC Radio’s Digital Human, TED.com, and other major media outlets. He is also an Affiliate Faculty member at the Mauthe Center.