New research debunks anger venting myth: Experts recommend alternate coping methods
In this extensive study, information from 154 research studies of more than 10,000 individuals was evaluated.
Everyone has felt anger at some point in their lives. It’s a normal human emotion. On the other hand, uncontrolled frustration can cause several issues in both our personal and professional lives. Many individuals think that expressing anger or anger venting can help them feel less of it, but new research indicates that this strategy might have the opposite effect.
An increasing amount of scientific research suggests that releasing anger doesn’t always reduce anger or aggression. Experts in anger management and psychology advise adopting several techniques to control anger more constructively.
Research on Anger Venting Myth
Researchers from Ohio State University conducted a study that casts doubt on the usefulness of expressing anger, and it was published as a component of Sophie Kjaervik’s dissertation. In this extensive study, information from 154 research studies of more than 10,000 individuals was evaluated. The results, which were released in the Clinical Psychology Review, demonstrated that anger venting does not always reduce anger but rather occasionally makes it worse.
For proper anger venting, the research highlights the significance of lowering physiological arousal, and it suggests that deep breathing and mindfulness exercises are more advantageous than conventional anger venting techniques.
The catharsis hypothesis, which holds that expressing anger is therapeutic, has been around for ages. According to Sigmund Freud, releasing suppressed emotions is necessary to preserve mental health. In the 1960s, the best-selling book “How to Live with a Neurotic” encouraged readers to “get mad, get it all out, and feel better.”
Several researchers have refuted this idea, nevertheless. In one experiment, subjects who imagined the source of their anger and struck a punching bag thereafter reported feeling more hostile. According to a different study, those who detailed their anger in writing felt more enraged and were more inclined to exact revenge on the person who had offended them.
“Anger venting doesn’t work because it reinforces the anger script,” explains Dr. Jerry Deffenbacher, a psychologist who has studied anger for over 30 years. “When you replay the anger venting experience, you tend to get more angry, not less.”
Therefore, what should we do when we’re furious if venting doesn’t work? To control anger more healthily, experts advise utilizing a range of cognitive, behavioral, and relaxation techniques:
Cognitive techniques: Disprove illogical ideas that make you angry, including blaming or catastrophizing. Consider whether the things that are making you upset are true or false.
Relaxation techniques: When you’re feeling furious, use progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, or visualization to help your body and mind relax. Breathing deeply and slowly from your abdomen can help drop your blood pressure and heart rate.
Behavioral strategies: Get up and move on, take a break, or work off some steam by exercising. With assertive communication skills, you may release your anger without harming or blaming other people.
Empathy and perspective-taking: Make an effort to comprehend the viewpoint and motivations of others around you. By placing yourself in their situation, you can foster forgiveness and lessen your rage.
Humor: Laughing is often the best form of treatment. You can defuse tension and get perspective by reading comics, watching a hilarious video, or hanging out with enjoyable pals.
There are several advantages to developing healthy anger management skills. By lowering stress and your chance of heart disease, high blood pressure, depression, and other conditions, it can enhance your physical and mental health. Assisting you in expressing your needs and finding a positive way to handle disagreements, can also improve your relationships.
“Anger is a normal emotion, but it’s how we handle it that makes the difference,” says Dr. Deffenbacher. “With practice, you can learn to express your anger appropriately and use it as a catalyst for positive change.”
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