Turned into a kind of emotional “fast food” of the digital age, anger is currently one of the most viewed emotions in our daily lives. Due to her ability to generate automatic engagement on social networks, cognitive simplicity and a sense of power, she is the queen of “backed”.
The idea is that anger resolves with outburst – a popular myth supported by the idea of catharsis. However, screaming, hitting something or writing furious posts ends up feeding a collective phenomenon that, deep down, is quite serious in terms of impact on collective mental health.
In a meta-analytical review held in 2024, two researchers from the OHIO State University conducted a statistical analysis of combined data from 154 studies with 184 independent samples involving 10,189 participants who tested activities that increase or reduce emotional agitation.
the study concluded “that the reduction of physiological arousal can effectively reduce anger and aggressiveness, while its increase does not.” But that does not mean that anger should be suffocated, ignored or introjected.
According to the study, It is much better to understand its causes, validate emotion and, if possible, solve the problems behind anger. This can be done through conscious reflection and avoiding destructive rumination. Not even the physical effort, useful in other circumstances, is able to relieve irritated mood at this time.
Applying the theory of two factors to the control of anger
Several previous research had addressed anger, focusing on ways to change thoughts and interpretations, using cognitive behavioral theory. The authors of the current research, Kjærvik and Bushman, realized that a more extensive analysis of the role of physiological arousal was lacking.
Therefore, the new meta-analytical revision is based on the theory of the two factors of Schachter-Singer. According to these two American psychologists, to feel an emotion, the person needs not only a physical response, but also to interpret the reaction based on the social and environmental context.
In this sense, the study examined so much activities that increase physiological arousal (beating bags, running, bicycle, swimming) and those that reduce it (deep breathing, full attention, meditation, yoga). The idea is that, to get rid of anger, it is possible to work on either approach.
In the case of activities to reduce arousal, deep breathing techniques, meditation, muscle relaxation and full attention were effective in both laboratories and real -life situations. Participants were college students, ordinary people, criminals and individuals with disabilities.
The discovery subverted common sense. After decades believing that “putting it out” (increasing emotional excitement) would help to reduce anger, we found with the study that it is just the opposite: Calm the nervous system (decrease excitement) is what effectively controls anger and aggressiveness.
Demystifying the theory of the outburst of anger
Even recognizing that changing thoughts and interpretations (cognitive approach), the authors recognize that not everyone responds well to this type of therapy. Therefore, they tested activities that increase arousal, such as boxing, cycling and running.
According to the statistical results, these “activities of increased excitement were generally ineffective and were heterogeneous and complex.” That is, they presented inconsistent results: sometimes they helped a little, sometimes got worse, but in the overall average they did not fit nothing.
One of these environments to extravate anger – the popular “anger rooms”, where people pay to break objects – served as inspiration for the research. “I wanted to unmask the whole theory of expressing anger as a way of dealing with it,” explained the first author Sophie Kjærvik in a statement.
Although more research is still necessary to clarify some results (such as why agitated activities have been so inconsistent), the researchers claim that soothing techniques are more effective in controlling rabies, even if it is just counting up to ten.
The good news, says Kjærvik, is that “you do not necessarily have to make an appointment with a cognitive behavioral therapist to deal with anger. You can download a free application on your phone or find a YouTube video if you need guidance,” concludes the clinical psychologist.
