Anger means never sitting down?

Here's an oddity. When talking about being upset or angry, Japanese speakers commonly use the phrase "hara tatsu." This literally means "my stomach stands up." Which is actually a good comparison for the physical tightening of the abdomen, I suppose.

However, having learned Japanese as an adult, I often suggest to people that they sit down. And they look at me, and say, "What?" When I explain that their stomach should sit down, it usually results in gales of laughter.

It just seems reasonable to me that if getting upset or angry means your stomach stands up, relaxing should mean that your stomach sits down. And everyone agrees that the opposite of standing up is sitting down.

So, don't get angry, tell your stomach to sit down.