Somewhere within an Ohio State lab, a man created a hole in the wall. He had just received harsh criticism on his essay from a stranger, and as a reaction, he was given a punching bag and instructed to envision that stranger’s face while he hit it. The idea was that he would release his anger.<\/p>\n
The wall tells a different story.<\/p>\n
This detail is found in a footnote of [Brad Bushman\u2019s 2002 study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin](https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0146167202289002), which involved 600 students who were exposed to a fabricated peer criticizing their writing, and then divided into three groups. One group struck the bag while dwelling on the insult. Another hit it while contemplating fitness. The third group remained passive, doing nothing at all. Subsequently, everyone had the opportunity to assault their critic with loud noise. The individuals who pondered on the insults exhibited the highest levels of anger and aggression of the three. The ones who remained still were the most composed.<\/p>\n
One study has limited validity by itself. Therefore, consider the outcomes when all studies were aggregated.<\/p>\n
## The Outcome of 154 Studies<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no shred of scientific backing for catharsis theory,\u201d Bushman stated in comments shared by [Ohio State News](https:\/\/news.osu.edu\/breathe-dont-vent-turning-down-the-heat-is-key-to-managing-anger\/). In 2024, he and Sophie Kjaervik compiled 154 studies encompassing 10,189 participants and published their findings in [Clinical Psychology Review](https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0272735824000357). Their classification method was straightforward. Anger comprises a physical aspect (racing heart, clenched jaw, adrenaline) and a mental aspect (the narrative you create about the person who has wronged you). Treatments can address either. Cognitive therapy targets the narrative, and it is effective. The other aspect had not been thoroughly examined.<\/p>\n
They categorized every intervention in the literature into two groups: activities that elevate your body, like hitting a bag, cycling, swimming, and those that calm it down, like breathing exercises, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, and slow flow yoga. The calming group significantly diminished anger and aggression with a moderate to large effect that survived their sensitivity analyses. The energizing group showed negligible impact on average, with portions of it producing negative results.<\/p>\n
Jogging turned out to be the most counterproductive.<\/p>\n
This is an incredibly frustrating finding if you’ve ever put on shoes after a difficult meeting. Running is excellent for cardiovascular health. According to the Ohio State researchers, it is an ineffective method for managing your temper, as it increases arousal instead of decreasing it. Interestingly, team sports and school physical education classes showed the opposite effect and reduced anger, which the researchers attributed to the fun aspect. Engaging in exertion that involves a game appears to yield different results than exercising alone.<\/p>\n
## Benefits of the Calming Approach<\/p>\n
Slow breathing is perhaps the least exciting intervention, yet it has a sound physiological rationale. A [systematic review in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience](https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/human-neuroscience\/articles\/10.3389\/fnhum.2018.00353\/full) found that consciously slowing one\u2019s breath shifts the autonomic nervous system towards the parasympathetic side, responsible for resting rather than emergency response, resulting in measurable alterations in heart rate variability and brain activity. Reported feelings of anger, anxiety, and confusion decrease alongside it.<\/p>\n
Kjaervik and Bushman discovered that these calming methods were effective across a broad range of individuals: students and non-students, offenders and non-offenders, as well as individuals with and without intellectual disabilities. They were also shown to be effective in group settings, individual instructions, and via apps. Kjaervik noted that nearly all the effective strategies are either free or low-cost, a rare statement to make concerning mental health findings.<\/p>\n
## The Continuing Appeal of Rage Rooms<\/p>\n
Why, then, do rage rooms continue to emerge despite this research? The initial commercial venture seemingly began in Tokyo during the Great Recession, establishing a business known as The Venting Place, designed for workers seeking a release for their frustrations. Numerous similar establishments have since appeared. Marcus Biddle, reporting for [WHYY\u2019s The Pulse](https:\/\/whyy.org\/segments\/rage-rooms-invite-people-to-engage-with-their-anger-but-do-they-actually-work\/), discovered operators in Philadelphia and New Jersey noting that teachers frequently comprise their clientele, with some visiting after experiencing loss or job termination.<\/p>\n
Clients are insistent that it is beneficial. A woman who visited a rage room in Margate shared with [BBC News](https:\/\/feeds.bbci.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c9d59v91286o) that it was the most beneficial therapy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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