Venting Anger May Not Help, Ohio State University Review Finds

Letting off steam when you are angry can appear logical. Popular belief holds that voicing anger helps to settle it, much as steam escapes from a pressure cooker.

Yet a 2024 meta-analytic review indicates that this familiar comparison is wrong. Scientists at Ohio State University assessed 154 studies of anger and found scant support for the idea that venting is helpful. In certain circumstances, it may actually make people angrier.

"I think it's really important to bust the myth that if you're angry you should blow off steam – get it off your chest," said senior author and communication scientist Brad Bushman when the findings were released last year.

"Venting anger might sound like a good idea, but there's not a shred of scientific evidence to support catharsis theory."

Venting anger can become rumination

This does not mean people should disregard anger. Thinking about it can help us identify the reasons we become angry and tackle the problems beneath it. It may also support emotional validation, which is an important initial stage in processing feelings in a healthy way.

Venting, by contrast, can move beyond reflection and become rumination. The review indicates that many people also attempt to drive out anger through physical exertion. Although exercise can benefit health, it may not improve a person's mood at that particular moment.

Across the studies included in the review, there were 10,189 participants of varied ages, genders, cultures and ethnicities. The authors say the evidence suggests that managing anger depends on lowering physiological arousal - whether that arousal comes from anger itself or from the otherwise healthful activity it may prompt.

"To reduce anger, it is better to engage in activities that decrease arousal levels," Bushman said. "Despite what popular wisdom may suggest, even going for a run is not an effective strategy because it increases arousal levels and ends up being counterproductive."

The research was partly prompted by the growing popularity of ‘rage rooms’, in which people pay to break objects in the hope of releasing their anger, said lead author Sophie Kjærvik, a communication scientist at Virginia Commonwealth University.

"I wanted to debunk the whole theory of expressing anger as a way of coping with it," explained Kjærvik. "We wanted to show that reducing arousal, and actually the physiological aspect of it, is really important."

How physiological arousal affects anger

The researchers structured their review around the Schachter-Singer two-factor theory. This theory presents anger, along with every other emotion, as having two elements: a physiological component and a cognitive one.

According to Kjærvik and Bushman, earlier research has frequently concentrated on the cognitive side, such as investigating how cognitive behavioral therapy can enable people to alter the mental interpretations underlying their anger.

They note that research shows this approach can be successful. However, the review also highlights another important route for easing fury. In addition, conventional cognitive behavioral therapies do not work effectively for every type of brain.

Their analysis covered activities that either raise or lower arousal, including boxing, cycling and jogging, as well as deep breathing, meditation and yoga.

Calming techniques for reducing anger

They found that calming practices lowered anger both in laboratory settings and in everyday environments, regardless of factors such as how participants were instructed or their demographic characteristics. Helpful arousal-reducing activities included slow-flow yoga, mindfulness, progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing and taking a timeout.

"It was really interesting to see that progressive muscle relaxation and just relaxation in general might be as effective as approaches such as mindfulness and meditation," Kjærvik said.

"And yoga, which can be more arousing than meditation and mindfulness, is still a way of calming and focusing on your breath that has the similar effect in reducing anger."

Instead of attempting to vent anger, the researchers advise weakening it by lowering the temperature. Methods already shown to relieve stress may also remove the physiological energy that fuels anger.

"Obviously in today's society, we're all dealing with a lot of stress, and we need ways of coping with that, too," Kjærvik said. "Showing that the same strategies that work for stress actually also work for anger is beneficial."

Most activities that increased arousal did not reduce anger, the review concluded, while some heightened it. Jogging was the activity most likely to have that effect.

Ball games and other forms of physical activity involving play appeared to lower physiological arousal. This suggests exertion could be more useful for easing anger when it is enjoyable.

"Certain physical activities that increase arousal may be good for your heart, but they're definitely not the best way to reduce anger," said Bushman. "It's really a battle because angry people want to vent, but our research shows that any good feeling we get from venting actually reinforces aggression."

Further research will be required to explain these findings more clearly. For now, though, the researchers say that calming approaches - including simply taking a timeout or counting to 10 - are the strongest options for controlling a temper.

"You don't need to necessarily book an appointment with a cognitive behavioral therapist to deal with anger. You can download an app for free on your phone, or you can find a YouTube video if you need guidance," Kjærvik said.

The study appeared in Clinical Psychology Review.

An earlier version of this article was published in April 2024.