People differ in trait anger, or how easily they lose their temper. The present authors suggest that whether trait anger become translated into angry feelings and behavior may depend on basic motivational states. Specifically, people with high (vs. low) trait anger may display increased anger and aggression when their current state is more rather than less approach oriented. Consistent with this, trait anger predicted state anger among participants who assumed high approach-oriented postures, but not among those who assumed low approach-oriented postures (Study 1, N = 127; Study 2, N = 151). Trait anger further predicted aggressive inclinations (Study 2) when participants assumed a high (rather than low) approach-oriented posture. Finally, trait anger predicted aggression (Study 3, N = 178; Study 4, N = 177) when participants assumed a high (rather than low) approach-oriented posture. These findings suggest that motivationally relevant bodily movements regulate whether trait anger becomes translated into state anger and aggression.