Does venting anger feed or extinguish the flame? Catharsis, rumination, distraction, anger, and aggressive responding

Sources

• Bushman, B. J. (2002). Does venting anger feed or extinguish the flame? Catharsis, rumination, distraction, anger, and aggressive responding. doi:10.1177/0146167202289002

  Level B Experiment

  Supports the claim that hitting a punching bag while ruminating produced more anger and aggression than doing nothing. A single laboratory experiment with a noise-blast aggression measure.

• Bushman, B. J., Baumeister, R. F., & Stack, A. D. (1999). Catharsis, aggression, and persuasive influence: Self-fulfilling or self-defeating prophecies?. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.76.3.367

  Level B Experiment

  Supports the claim that belief in catharsis increased the wish to vent and that venting was followed by more laboratory aggression. Brief provocations and laboratory aggression measures limit generalisation.

Sources

• Kjærvik, S. L., & Bushman, B. J. (2024). A meta-analytic review of anger management activities that increase or decrease arousal: What fuels or douses rage?. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2024.102414

  Level A Meta-analysis

  Supports the claims that arousal-decreasing activities reduced anger and aggression and that arousal-increasing activities were ineffective overall. The arousal-increasing studies were heterogeneous, so conclusions about specific activities such as running are less certain.

• Bushman, B. J. (2002). Does venting anger feed or extinguish the flame? Catharsis, rumination, distraction, anger, and aggressive responding. doi:10.1177/0146167202289002

  Level B Experiment

  Supports the claim that hitting a punching bag while ruminating produced more anger and aggression than doing nothing. A single laboratory experiment with a noise-blast aggression measure.

Sources

• Kjærvik, S. L., & Bushman, B. J. (2024). A meta-analytic review of anger management activities that increase or decrease arousal: What fuels or douses rage?. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2024.102414

  Level A Meta-analysis

  Supports the claims that arousal-decreasing activities reduced anger and aggression and that arousal-increasing activities were ineffective overall. The arousal-increasing studies were heterogeneous, so conclusions about specific activities such as running are less certain.

• Bushman, B. J. (2002). Does venting anger feed or extinguish the flame? Catharsis, rumination, distraction, anger, and aggressive responding. doi:10.1177/0146167202289002

  Level B Experiment

  Supports the claim that hitting a punching bag while ruminating produced more anger and aggression than doing nothing. A single laboratory experiment with a noise-blast aggression measure.

• Liao, Y., Shonkoff, E. T., & Dunton, G. F. (2015). The acute relationships between affect, physical feeling states, and physical activity in daily life: A review of current evidence. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01975

  Level C Systematic review

  Supports the claims that physical activity consistently predicted higher positive affect over the next few hours and that evidence for reduced negative affect was inconsistent. Intensive longitudinal observational studies, so direction and confounding remain open.

Sources

• Bushman, B. J. (2002). Does venting anger feed or extinguish the flame? Catharsis, rumination, distraction, anger, and aggressive responding. doi:10.1177/0146167202289002

  Level B Experiment

  Supports the claim that hitting a punching bag while ruminating produced more anger and aggression than doing nothing. A single laboratory experiment with a noise-blast aggression measure.

• Kjærvik, S. L., & Bushman, B. J. (2024). A meta-analytic review of anger management activities that increase or decrease arousal: What fuels or douses rage?. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2024.102414

  Level A Meta-analysis

  Supports the claims that arousal-decreasing activities reduced anger and aggression and that arousal-increasing activities were ineffective overall. The arousal-increasing studies were heterogeneous, so conclusions about specific activities such as running are less certain.