Does venting anger actually make it go away?

Venting does not reduce anger, according to the research in these results. A 2024 meta-analysis of 154 studies found that activities which raise arousal, such as venting or going for a run, were ineffective overall at reducing anger. Activities that lower arousal, such as deep breathing and meditation, did reduce anger and aggression. Venting may feel good in the moment, but that feeling does not translate into less anger. [1] [2]

The belief that you should blow off steam or get it off your chest rests on catharsis theory, which holds that expressing anger drains it away. A book chapter on the topic notes that claims for the health benefits of venting have come from newspaper columnists, poets, writers, pop psychologists and even some well-intentioned therapists. The chapter's authors conclude that psychological research has shown venting to be ineffective and that catharsis theory appears to have done more harm than good. [3]

In a 2002 study by Brad Bushman, angered participants hit a punching bag. One group thought about the person who had angered them (rumination), another thought about becoming physically fit (distraction), and a control group did not hit a bag. The rumination group felt angrier afterward and was most aggressive when given the chance to blast the person with loud noise. The distraction group came next, and the no-punching-bag group was least aggressive. Bushman concluded that doing nothing at all was more effective than venting, and that the results contradict catharsis theory. [4]

The review, led by Sophie Kjærvik with Bushman as senior author, covered 154 studies with 10,189 participants. Arousal-decreasing activities lowered anger and aggression (g = -0.63), and the effect held across genders, ages, cultures, students and non-students, offenders and non-offenders, and people with and without intellectual disabilities. Effective methods included deep breathing, relaxation, mindfulness, meditation, slow flow yoga, progressive muscle relaxation and taking a timeout. [1] [2]

Arousal-increasing activities had essentially no overall effect (g = -0.02), though results varied. Jogging was the most likely to increase anger. The authors suggest that its repetitive nature may breed monotony and frustration. Ball sports and physical education classes reduced anger, which the researchers attribute possibly to playfulness and positive emotion. The authors also say venting increased anger and aggression, and they advise against screaming into pillows, hitting punching bags or paying for rage rooms. [5] [2]

Much of the cited work comes from one research group, and the search results contain no dissenting studies, so this summary cannot show how other researchers view the findings. The review was guided by the Schachter-Singer two-factor theory, which treats anger as physiological arousal plus mental meaning. The book chapter also cautions that meta-analyses of cognitive behavioral therapy for anger have limitations that restrict conclusions about its efficacy. [2] [3]