Myth: Venting Lets the Anger Out
What's actually true: Do not punch pillows or rant to cool down; anger fades faster when you calm the body down.
Experiments and a large meta-analysis find venting keeps anger high, while arousal-lowering activities like slow breathing reduce it.
What the research found
Hitting a bag or ranting kept people angrier and more aggressive than doing nothing. Calming the body, through breathing or slow movement, lowered anger.
What to do instead
- Skip the angry rant to a colleague right after.
- Slow your breathing first.
- Take a short walk at an easy pace.
- Talk about it later, once calm, to solve it.
What to say
Let me get back to you on this tomorrow.
I need a few minutes. Can we continue after lunch?
Avoid
Typing an angry reply to get it off your chest. You will send it.
Example
After a rude call from a client's MD, Ankit used to rant on the team WhatsApp. He started walking round the block instead, and his replies to the client got calmer.
Practise it
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