Venting a source of anger may feel pleasant in the moment, but it is not effective in reducing anger, new research suggests.
Instead, techniques often used to address stress (deep breathing, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, or even counting to 10) have been shown to be more effective in decreasing anger and aggression.
Researchers analyzed more than 150 studies involving more than 10,000 participants and found that what really works to reduce anger is to reduce physiological arousal; In other words, lower the temperature. Activities that increased arousal generally had no effect on anger, and some activities made it worse, particularly jogging.
“I think it’s really important to dispel the myth that if you’re angry you should vent,” said lead author Brad Bushman, a communications professor at Ohio State University. “Venting anger may seem like a good idea, but there is not a shred of scientific evidence to support the catharsis theory.
“To reduce anger, it is best to do activities that reduce arousal levels,” Bushman said. “Despite what conventional wisdom may suggest, even going for a run is not an effective strategy because it increases arousal levels and ends up being counterproductive.”
The study was led by first author Sophie Kjærvik, who completed the review of her Ohio State thesis. It was published online on March 11 in the magazine Clinical Psychology Review.
Kjærvik, now a postdoctoral fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University, said the work was inspired in part by the growing popularity of anger rooms that promote breaking things (like glass, dishes and electronics) to overcome feelings of anger.
“I wanted to debunk the whole theory of expressing anger as a way of coping,” he said. “We wanted to show that reducing arousal, and actually the physiological aspect of it, is really important.”
The meta-analytic review was based on 154 studies involving 10,189 participants of different genders, races, ages, and cultures. The selection and analysis of studies was guided by the Schachter-Singer two-factor theory, which assumes that all emotions, including anger, consist of physiological arousal and mental meanings. To get rid of anger, you can work on any of them.
Several previous meta-analytic reviews have focused on changing mental meanings through cognitive behavioral therapy, which works. However, Kjærvik and Bushman said that a meta-analytic review of the role of arousal would fill an important gap in the understanding of how to resolve anger. Their analysis focused on examining both activities that increase arousal (e.g., hitting a bag, jogging, cycling, swimming) and activities that decrease arousal (e.g., deep breathing, mindfulness, meditation , yoga).
Results showed that arousal-decreasing activities were effective in fending off anger in laboratories and field settings, using digital platforms or in-person instruction, and in group and individual sessions across multiple populations: college students and non-students, people with and without criminal records and people with and without intellectual disabilities.
Arousal-decreasing activities that were effective in reducing anger across the board included deep breathing, relaxation, mindfulness, meditation, slow-flow yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, and taking a time-out.
“It was really interesting to see that progressive muscle relaxation and general relaxation could be as effective as approaches like mindfulness and meditation,” Kjærvik said. “And yoga, which can be more exciting than meditation and mindfulness, is still a way to calm down and focus on breathing that has a similar effect on reducing anger.
“Obviously, in today’s society, we are all dealing with a lot of stress, and we need ways to cope with it as well. It is beneficial to show that the same strategies that work for stress also work for anger.”
In contrast, activities that increased arousal were generally ineffective, but also produced a complex range of results. Jogging was most likely to increase anger, while physical education classes and ball sports had a decreasing arousal effect, suggesting to researchers that introducing an element of play into physical activity can at least increase positive emotions or counteract negative feelings.
The finding that increased arousal was not the response to anger corresponded with earlier work led by Bushman that linked venting anger with continued aggression.
“Certain physical activities that increase arousal may be good for the heart, but they are definitely not the best way to reduce anger,” Bushman said. “It’s really a battle because angry people want to vent, but our research shows that any good feelings we get from venting actually reinforce the aggression.”
That being the case, the authors noted that many arousal-decreasing interventions that have been shown to reduce the heat of anger are free or inexpensive and easily accessible.
“You don’t need to make an appointment with a cognitive behavioral therapist to deal with anger. You can download a free app on your phone or you can find a YouTube video if you need guidance,” Kjærvik said.