Venting Doesn’t Make You Less Angry

You Should Know: If your first instinct is to call your best friend to vent when something makes you mad, that’s perfectly normal. But you might want to rethink that approach. Research suggests it can actually make your anger linger longer. 

Going Deeper: Researchers from The Ohio State University completed a meta-analysis of 154 studies involving more than 10,000 participants from different ages, races, genders, and cultural backgrounds. The results were universal across the groups: Activities that decreased “arousal” were effective at squashing anger, whereas ones that increased or maintained arousal weren’t.

Takeaway: Venting, ranting, screaming — all of that keeps us in a suspended state of heightened arousal. Activities that decrease your anger and calm you down are far more effective. After all, anger is a physiological experience as much as an emotional one. Calming down can lower our heart rate and blood pressure, regulate our breathing, and relax our muscles. That’s what can make anger dissipate. 

Bottom Line: When you start to feel steamed, work on turning down the heat instead of stoking the fire. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, counting to 10 (or more), yoga, meditation, and talking — not yelling — about your feelings are all better solutions.