Calming down is more helpful than venting when you're angry

About the episode

What's the best thing to do when something makes you really angry and you want to get rid of that anger quickly? Yelling into a pillow? Break something? Want to practice everything? According to this study, it's better not to.

Scientists compared more than 150 studies to find out which was better: increased or decreased arousal?

In this case, arousal means how active and alert the person is. If this arousal is high, it is often accompanied by a high heart rate, rapid breathing, and sweat production. Anger can also cause this condition.

The researchers found that when comparing the results of all these studies, anger is more likely to decrease if you try to get out of that high arousal. Consider: paying attention to your breathing, yoga, or just relaxing your muscles.

This applies to experiments in the laboratory as well as in real life, for each individual or during a group session, offline or online. It has been seen in students and non-students, criminals and non-criminals, and people of all different races, countries and ages.

Running alone doesn't seem to help. Team ball sports are sometimes possible, perhaps because of the fun aspect involved.

But anyway, if you want to get over your tantrum quickly: chill out and save that punching bag for another time.

Read more about the research here: Feeling angry? Relaxation helps more than just blowing off steam