Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
A meta-analytic review of anger management activities that increase or decrease arousal: What fuels or douses rage?
A meta-analytic review of anger management activities that increase or decrease arousal: What fuels or douses rage?
Sophie L. Kjærvik, Brad J. Bushman
The Ohio State University, USA
Received 29 September 2023, Revised 26 February 2024, Accepted 8 March 2024, Available online 11 March 2024, Version of Record 22 March 2024.
Abstract
Anger is an unpleasant emotion that most people want to get rid of. Some anger management activities focus on decreasing arousal (e.g., deep breathing, mindfulness, meditation), whereas others focus on increasing arousal (e.g., hitting a bag, jogging, cycling). This meta-analytic review, based on 154 studies including 184 independent samples involving 10,189 participants, tested the effectiveness of both types of activities. The results indicated that arousal-decreasing activities decreased anger and aggression (g = −0.63, [−0.82, −0.43]), and the results were robust. Effects were stable over time for participants of different genders, races, ages, and cultures. Arousal-decreasing activities were effective in students and non-students, in criminal offenders and non-offenders, and in individuals with and without intellectual disabilities. Arousal-decreasing activities were effective regardless of how they were delivered (e.g., digital platforms, researchers, therapists), in both group and individual sessions, and in both field and laboratory settings. In contrast, arousal-increasing activities were ineffective overall (g = −0.02, [−0.13, 0.09]) and were heterogenous and complex. These findings do not support the ideas that venting anger or going for a run are effective anger management activities. A more effective approach for managing anger is “turning down the heat” or calming down by engaging in activities that decrease arousal.
Snip...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735824000357?via%3Dihub
Sophie L. Kjærvik, Brad J. Bushman
The Ohio State University, USA
Received 29 September 2023, Revised 26 February 2024, Accepted 8 March 2024, Available online 11 March 2024, Version of Record 22 March 2024.
Abstract
Anger is an unpleasant emotion that most people want to get rid of. Some anger management activities focus on decreasing arousal (e.g., deep breathing, mindfulness, meditation), whereas others focus on increasing arousal (e.g., hitting a bag, jogging, cycling). This meta-analytic review, based on 154 studies including 184 independent samples involving 10,189 participants, tested the effectiveness of both types of activities. The results indicated that arousal-decreasing activities decreased anger and aggression (g = −0.63, [−0.82, −0.43]), and the results were robust. Effects were stable over time for participants of different genders, races, ages, and cultures. Arousal-decreasing activities were effective in students and non-students, in criminal offenders and non-offenders, and in individuals with and without intellectual disabilities. Arousal-decreasing activities were effective regardless of how they were delivered (e.g., digital platforms, researchers, therapists), in both group and individual sessions, and in both field and laboratory settings. In contrast, arousal-increasing activities were ineffective overall (g = −0.02, [−0.13, 0.09]) and were heterogenous and complex. These findings do not support the ideas that venting anger or going for a run are effective anger management activities. A more effective approach for managing anger is “turning down the heat” or calming down by engaging in activities that decrease arousal.
Snip...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735824000357?via%3Dihub
Additional information:
'Venting' doesn't reduce anger, so psychologists advise patients to do this instead
https://www.earth.com/news/venting-does-not-reduce-anger-psychologists-advise-doing-this-instead/
https://www.earth.com/news/venting-does-not-reduce-anger-psychologists-advise-doing-this-instead/
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
