Source article: Does Venting Anger Feed or Extinguish the Flame? Catharsis, Rumination, Distraction, Anger, and Aggressive Responding
Finally figured out Mbin images and alt text! Have to make a thread post, and then click the image icon next to language selection. There will be an alt text section. No adding URLs in the URL section, just put it in the body. Unfortunately I replaced the image with a better one and retyped the alt text and it vanished, so thankfully we have
Transcription of image of text in body, as per rule 3:
- One man in the rumination group became so angry while hitting the punching bag that he also punched a hole in the laboratory wall.
I think it depends and I think the study more accurately reflects how rumination can escalate anger, not that venting doesn’t reduce anger.
If one normally keeps it bottled up, then the occasional venting helps to reduce the pressure of keeping it bottled up and in my experience can break the cycle of not being able to let the thing go. If someone vents in a way that allows then to ruminate less over time then it is a benefit. As this study and previous studies were described, the person who just vented their anger was found to still be angry immediately after they were intentionally ruminating on the thing that made them angry. That is like measuring heart rate immediately after exercising.
I do think the study showes that ruminating on things that make us angry does work us up more than not thinking about them. From personal experience venting about something I have bottled up does reduce rumination starting an hour or so afterwards.
Just me, but when I tried catharsis I always finished angrier than when I started. Doesn’t work for me. Better to put a lid on it and stuff it down deep.
Life-wisdom says it feeds the flame
Kyle should be treated as an outlier.