If you are angry, just vent it out? It turns out that we have been doing it wrong all along.

It is inevitable to feel angry and furious in daily life and work. At this time, we generally think that the best way is to vent these negative emotions rather than let them be suppressed in our hearts.

However, does this traditional idea of ​​venting really have any scientific basis? Can venting anger really effectively reduce anger? Or is it just misleading?

Recently, a study published by researchers at Ohio State University in the journal Clinical Psychology Review mentioned a common misunderstanding of our anger, that is, we think that venting anger is effective. The study shows that venting anger may make people feel good, but it is not effective in reducing anger. It may even make the situation worse.

Research results on how to get rid of anger Image source: Literature 1

Why can't I control it?

Your own anger?

Anger is considered one of the most difficult unpleasant emotions to regulate due to its complexity and strong impact .

From a physiological perspective, anger can quickly trigger the body's "fight or flight" response, causing physiological changes such as increased heart rate and blood pressure. This rapid and intense physiological activation state is like a machine that heats up instantly. It takes a process to cool down, so it is difficult to calm down quickly. In addition, when angry, the areas of the brain related to emotion regulation, such as the prefrontal cortex, may be affected by high emotional activation, thereby affecting rational decision-making and emotion regulation ability.

From a psychological and social perspective, anger often involves a deeper level of emotional experience and cognitive evaluation . It is often closely tied to personal values, expectations, and beliefs. When these are challenged or threatened, individuals may experience a strong sense of injustice and hurt, which intensifies anger.

At the same time, anger is often accompanied by blaming others or the external environment, a tendency that may prompt people to take impulsive or retaliatory actions driven by anger rather than seeking constructive and rational solutions.

The interplay of these cognitive and affective factors makes anger a difficult emotion to regulate and manage on multiple levels.

Study: Venting anger is effective

The statement does not hold true

Some psychological theories, especially Freud's psychoanalytic theory, believe that through the process of "venting", individuals can express these hidden emotions and thus reduce inner tension and conflict. He likened this process to "mental detoxification" and believed that it was essential for the mental health of individuals.

In particular, he likened anger to a kind of pressure or energy that, when accumulated to a certain level, needs to be released in some way, similar to the valve of a steam boiler that needs to be opened to release the pressure. Based on this, people believe that by venting anger, inner tension and impulse can be reduced, making the individual feel more relaxed and relieved.

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But after analyzing more than 150 studies involving 10,189 participants, researchers at Ohio State University found that what actually reduces anger is lowering physiological arousal, or in other words, turning down the heat. Activities that increase physiological arousal, such as venting, are not effective in reducing anger.

"Venting may sound like a good idea, but there isn't a shred of scientific evidence to support the catharsis theory," said Brad Bushman, professor of communication at Ohio State and co-lead and co-corresponding author of the study.

The selection and analysis of this study is guided by the two-factor theory of emotion. The two-factor theory of emotion holds that in emotion-inducing situations, people experience three processes: "physiological arousal - looking for environmental cues that can explain the cause of arousal - labeling their emotions in this way." As an emotion with high physiological arousal, anger also follows this theory. In other words, the outburst of anger is highly correlated with the two factors of high physiological arousal and unpleasant cognitive labels.

In fact, the study found that behaviors that affect arousal levels have significant effects on anger and aggression:

Activities that reduce physiological arousal, such as relaxation, meditation, and yoga, can effectively reduce anger and aggression;

Activities that increase physiological arousal, such as jogging, boxing, and yelling, can increase anger and aggression.

This is because when anger strikes, our body tends to enter a state of tension, and the sympathetic nerve center becomes abnormally active. As part of the autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic nerve center is mainly responsible for regulating the body's stress response and motor response.

In a state of anger, the sympathetic nervous center releases a large number of neurotransmitters , such as norepinephrine and adrenaline, which prompt physiological reactions such as faster heartbeat, constriction of blood vessels, increased blood pressure, and increased blood sugar levels. These reactions are to respond to potential threats or dangers and enable us to take quick action.

However, if we choose to reduce anger through exercise or venting when we are angry, it will increase the degree of physiological arousal, which will be counterproductive. This is because exercise will further increase heart rate and breathing rate, make the body more tense, and thus intensify the feeling of anger.

Emotional behaviors, such as yelling or hitting, may also trigger stronger physiological reactions, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, further exacerbating anger and aggression. Cognitive neuroscience research has found that the brain areas activated by physical pain and emotional pain are highly overlapping.

In other words, the brain often cannot tell whether your breathing speeds up because of exercise or because of anger. This may cause such a mistake: originally our anger value may be only 7, but because of exercise or venting, the physiological arousal is superimposed, making the brain mistakenly think that our anger value has exceeded 10.

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On the contrary, activities that reduce physiological arousal help reduce the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and encourage the parasympathetic nervous system to play a greater role in restoring the body's balance, allowing us to shift from the "fight or flight response" to the "calm and connection response," allowing us to calm down and think and talk carefully, and deal with problems more rationally.

Too angry, try this

Although anger is difficult to control, some techniques may help people who are in an angry situation. Based on the two-factor theory of emotion and the results of this study, if you want to reduce anger, you can actually start by reducing physiological arousal. There are many ways to reduce physiological arousal, and these methods are similar in principle to breathing adjustments and muscle relaxation after strenuous exercise. The following are some effective ways to reduce physiological arousal:

1

Take a deep breath

By taking deep breaths, we can slow down our heart rate and lower our blood pressure, thereby reducing our physiological arousal. Deep breathing helps us inhale more oxygen while expelling carbon dioxide from the body, allowing the body to gradually transition from a tense state to a calm state.

2

Close your eyes

Closing your eyes is the simplest, fastest and most effective way to cut off information input. Anger arises from the feeling of provocation, threat and danger. These stimuli enter the brain through our senses and trigger a series of physiological and psychological reactions.

When we close our eyes, we shut down vision, the main channel of information input, thereby reducing the impact of external stimuli on the brain. This helps us temporarily get rid of those stimuli that may trigger anger and provides a buffer time for our emotional regulation.

While closing our eyes, we can try to do some relaxing activities such as deep breathing, muscle relaxation or meditation, which can help reduce our physiological arousal level and relieve tension and anxiety. By reducing the interference of external information and relaxing ourselves, we can better control our emotions and avoid outbursts of anger.

3

Counting Numbers

In fact, simply counting from 1 to 10 can effectively reduce physiological arousal and thus relieve anger.

This is because counting is actually a distraction technique. When we start counting, our attention is focused on the number instead of the anger or the reason for the anger. This distraction helps to reduce physiological arousal because our body is no longer in a state of high tension.

In addition, counting activities provide us with a buffer period. In the process of counting, we can temporarily stop reacting to our anger and give ourselves some time to calm down and think. This time window gives us the opportunity to reassess the situation and find more effective coping strategies instead of just relying on anger to express ourselves.

References

[1]Kjærvik, Sophie Lyngesen, and Brad J. Bushman. "A meta-analytic review of anger management activities that increase or decrease arousal: What fuels or douses rage?." Clinical Psychology Review (2024): 102414.

[2]Carver, Charles S., and Eddie Harmon-Jones. "Anger is an approach-related affect: evidence and implications." Psychological bulletin 135.2 (2009): 183.

[3]Sharma, Manoj, and Sarah E. Rush. "Mindfulness-based stress reduction as a stress management intervention for healthy individuals: a systematic review." Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine 19.4 (2014): 271-286.

[4]Novaco, Raymond W. "Perspectives on anger treatment: discussion and commentary." Cognitive and Behavioral Practice 18.2 (2011): 251-255.

Planning and production

Author: Denovo, PhD, Beijing Institute of Technology

Su Jing National Level 2 Psychological Counselor

Reviewer: Zhang Xin, Associate Professor, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, Peking University

Planning丨Wang Mengru

Editor: Wang Mengru

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin

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