If when you are angry you would like to scream or puncture a wall to let off steam … Know that it is not a good idea. Not only for your hand, but also for your mood, which will not be improved as you believe: according to what has been discovered by a meta-analysis that has reviewed 154 studies conducted on almost 10,200 participants, to calm your anger the best option is not to let off steam, but bring your body back to a state of calm breathing, meditating or simply counting up to ten. The details of the search are published on Clinical Psychology Review.
Calm the body. The “key advice” that comes from the meta-analysis is that of calm the body: scream, break items, punch to a pit bag or even ride by bicycle not only are they not often able to do it, but they even risk making us nervous even more. “Even going to run is not a solution, because it increases stimulation levels ending up being counterproductive,” explains Brad Bushman, one of the authors.
No to the race, yes to the game. After analyzing activities that increased or reduced the excitement as a boxing, bicycle and jogging, or deep breathing, meditation and yoga, researchers found that the activities that contributed to reducing the excitement to be more effective in calming anger were more effective – even a simple outdoor walk or counting up to ten.
The worst idea? Jogging: not only wouldn’t the levels of anger down, but would even help to increase them. Some sports with the ball and other physical activities that include the game instead managed to reduce physiological excitement, showing that the movement is more able to relax if it is fun.
