Some have mastered the art of controlling their anger, but for others, tempering their anger is part of bravery. Fear not: Researchers have discovered the best way to reduce stress, and it may surprise you…
If you have an outspoken nature, you may have learned to live with outbursts of anger that are sometimes very intense and difficult to control. To calm them, there are two schools of thought: isolate yourself and favor calmness, or let off steam to release “too much” of emotions.
To determine which of the two methods was more effective, researchers conducted an experiment analyzing 154 studies involving more than 10,000 participants. They distinguished two types of activities: those that decrease activation (such as deep breathing, mindfulness, meditation) and those that increase it (hitting a punching bag, jogging or cycling).
No, you don’t have to “let off steam”!
At the risk of disappointing the most athletic among you, the results of the study – which have just been published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review – shows that the activities aimed at reducing activation were, by far, the most effective, whatever the gender, ethnicity, age or culture of the participants and whatever their status: students and non-students, criminals and non-criminals, with or Without intellectual disability. Furthermore, these activities were effective regardless of their delivery method (platform DigitalDigitalresearchers, clinicians), in individual or group sessions, in the field or in the laboratory.
On the contraryActivities aimed at increasing activation were overall ineffective and results did not show a clear trend that these activities were beneficial for anger management.
Conclusion: In the event of an emergency or temper tantrum, put aside the running shoes and boxing gloves and return to the breathing exercises easily found on the free platform. YoutubeYoutubeAnd take a quiet moment that will allow you to focus on something else: doing light manual activities like cooking, knitting or a reading session.
