March 18, 2024
Breathe, don’t vent: Turning down the heat is key to managing anger
Venting about a source of anger might feel good in the moment, but it’s not effective at reducing the rage, 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 at decreasing anger and aggression.
Researchers in Ohio State's School of Communication analyzed over 150 studies involving more than 10,000 participants and found that what really works to reduce anger is lowering physiological arousal – in other words, turning down the heat. Activities that increased arousal overall had no effect on anger, and some activities made it worse – particularly jogging.