Advice // Advice 02
Let anger cool instead of venting it
Evidence Replicated experimental
When angry, do not vent at an object or person while replaying the provocation. Let arousal fall first, then think about the situation from a distance and decide what, if anything, needs to be done.
In practice
- Step away from the situation for at least several minutes before responding.
- Lower physiological arousal with slow, extended exhalations or a quiet, non-competitive activity.
- If you exercise to calm down, direct your attention to the activity itself rather than to the grievance.
- When calmer, describe the event as if you were an observer watching it from the outside.
- Decide whether the situation requires action, and if so, choose one proportionate step.
Why venting backfires
The hydraulic model predicts that expressing anger discharges it. The experiments that tested this prediction found the opposite. Venting while thinking about a provocation rehearses the anger: it keeps anger-related thoughts active and makes aggressive responses more accessible. Physical exertion raises arousal, and when attention remains on the grievance, that arousal is experienced as more anger.
What the evidence shows
Bushman, Baumeister and Stack (1999) found that people who were told that hitting a punching bag relieves anger were more inclined to choose that activity, and that venting was followed by more aggression toward the person who had provoked them. Bushman (2002) compared hitting a punching bag while thinking about the provocateur, hitting it while thinking about fitness, and sitting quietly. The rumination condition produced the most anger and aggression, and sitting quietly produced the least.
Kross, Ayduk and Mischel (2005) showed that reflecting on an anger-provoking experience from a self-distanced perspective reduced emotional reactivity compared with reliving it from an immersed perspective. Distance allows the meaning of the event to be examined without re-igniting the emotion.
What further research adds
Rumination makes anger worse even without physical venting. Ray, Wilhelm and Gross (2008) asked participants in two studies to recall a recent anger-provoking event and then either ruminate on it or reappraise it. Compared with reappraisal, rumination led to greater anger experience, more cognitive perseveration and greater sympathetic nervous system activation. Denson’s (2013) review describes angry rumination as a risk factor for aggression that temporarily reduces self-control, which can increase aggression.
For people whose anger is a recurring problem, a meta-analysis of 23 controlled treatment studies in non-institutionalised adults with anger established by standardised measures found medium to large effects across therapies (Del Vecchio & O’Leary, 2004). Analyses by type of anger supported cognitive therapies for driving anger, anger suppression and trait anger, and relaxation for state anger. These are structured treatments delivered in studies, not self-help, which is why frequent or harmful anger remains a reason to speak with a professional.
In short
The sense of release after venting is real, but it is not evidence that anger has been reduced. Time, lower arousal and a distanced view reduce anger more reliably than discharge.
Limits
- These studies measured short-term anger and aggression in the laboratory; they do not describe every form of emotional expression.
- Cooling down does not mean accepting mistreatment. Anger can signal a real problem that deserves a response once arousal has fallen.
- If anger is frequent, intense or leads to harm, speak with a qualified professional.
Claims made on this page
Each claim is graded in the evidence ledger, with its sources and review dates. Evidence →
In laboratory experiments, hitting a punching bag while thinking about a provocation produced more anger and aggression than sitting quietly, and belief in catharsis increased the wish to vent without reducing later aggression.
- Scope
- Short-term anger and laboratory aggression after brief provocations, mostly in university students.
- Caveat
- Aggression was measured with standardised laboratory tasks; the studies do not describe long-term outcomes or every form of emotional expression, and they are not about dancing or music.
Last reviewed · Review due · venting-increases-anger
A meta-analysis of 154 studies found that arousal-increasing anger-management activities, such as hitting a bag or running, did not reduce anger and aggression overall (g = -0.02, 95% CI -0.13 to 0.09).
- Scope
- Anger and aggression outcomes across 184 samples and 10,189 participants in laboratory and field settings.
- Caveat
- The pooled effect was close to zero but the arousal-increasing studies were heterogeneous, so some activities in some contexts may differ; physical exercise has other benefits.
Last reviewed · Review due · arousal-increasing-activities-ineffective
The same meta-analysis found that arousal-decreasing activities, such as slow breathing, relaxation and mindfulness, reduced anger and aggression (g = -0.63, 95% CI -0.82 to -0.43), with robust effects across populations and delivery formats.
- Scope
- Students, non-students, offenders and people with and without intellectual disabilities, in group, individual, digital, laboratory and field formats.
- Caveat
- A pooled average does not predict the effect for an individual, and frequent or harmful anger warrants professional help.
Last reviewed · Review due · arousal-decreasing-activities-reduce-anger
Reflecting on an anger-eliciting experience from a self-distanced perspective reduced negative affect compared with immersed recall, in two experiments.
- Scope
- Recall of everyday negative interpersonal experiences in laboratory settings.
- Caveat
- Outcomes are short-term, effects depend on the person and experience, and recent or severe trauma requires professional support.
Last reviewed · Review due · self-distancing-reduces-reactivity
Distress that persists, disrupts daily life, or includes thoughts of harming oneself warrants contact with a qualified professional, and immediate danger warrants contacting local emergency services.
- Scope
- Readers of any advice entry or research note, especially after trauma or with persistent anger, rumination or low mood.
- Caveat
- A safety policy aligned with standard clinical guidance; local services and thresholds differ by country.
Last reviewed · Review due · seek-professional-help
Relative to reappraisal, ruminating on an anger-provoking event led to greater anger experience, more cognitive perseveration and greater sympathetic activation, and angry rumination is described as a risk factor for aggression that temporarily reduces self-control.
- Scope
- Laboratory recall of anger-provoking events and a theoretical synthesis.
- Caveat
- Short-term laboratory outcomes; the self-control account comes from a theoretical model.
Last reviewed · Review due · advice-anger-rumination-versus-reappraisal
A meta-analysis of 23 controlled studies in adults with anger established by standardised measures found medium to large treatment effects, supporting cognitive therapies for driving anger, anger suppression and trait anger and relaxation for state anger.
- Scope
- Structured anger treatments in non-institutionalised adults, 1980–2002.
- Caveat
- Studies up to 2002 with few treatment-seeking or clinical participants; these are professional treatments, not self-help.
Last reviewed · Review due · advice-anger-treatments-by-type
References
- (1999). Catharsis, aggression, and persuasive influence: Self-fulfilling or self-defeating prophecies?. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(3), 367–376. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.76.3.367
- (2002). Does venting anger feed or extinguish the flame? Catharsis, rumination, distraction, anger, and aggressive responding. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(6), 724–731. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167202289002
- (2005). When asking "why" does not hurt: Distinguishing rumination from reflective processing of negative emotions. Psychological Science, 16(9), 709–715. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2005.01600.x
- (2008). All in the mind's eye? Anger rumination and reappraisal. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94(1), 133–145. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.94.1.133
- (2013). The multiple systems model of angry rumination. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 17(2), 103–123. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868312467086
- (2004). Effectiveness of anger treatments for specific anger problems: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 24(1), 15–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2003.09.006