Letting off steam?

Does hitting a pillow calm you down?

Someone said something harsh, and you are angry. The red line is hitting a punching bag while thinking about that person. The blue line is just sitting still. It feels like hitting would let the anger out, but the anger actually got bigger and lasted longer. Sitting still worked better.

Why?“You have to let your anger out” is an old belief, but experiments do not back it up. While you hit, you keep thinking about what made you angry, which is the same as replaying it. When you are angry, step away for a moment and breathe, and talk once the wave has come down.

Go furtherThe American psychologist Brad Bushman tested this in 2002. People got harsh feedback on their writing, then either hit a punching bag or sat quietly for two minutes. Those who sat quietly ended up the least angry and the least aggressive afterward.