Scientists reveal the safest way to stop feeling angry in stressful situations

Running, deep breathing, or even screaming into your pillow are tried-and-true strategies for dealing with anger. But the best thing you can do is write down your reaction on a piece of paper and then throw it away, according to new research.

In fact, scientists found this method to be so effective that it eliminated feelings of anger “almost completely.”

The team, from Nagoya University in Japan, recruited participants who were asked to write a short opinion piece about important social issues.

They were told that their writing would be evaluated. Regardless of what they wrote, they all received negative and derogatory comments and scored low on intelligence, interest, logic, and rationality.

After receiving these negative comments, participants were asked to write down their thoughts on a piece of paper.

One group was asked to dispose of the paper in the recycling bin or keep it in a file on their desk. The second group was instructed to place the document in the shredder or in a clear plastic box.

The analysis revealed that although everyone reported a higher level of anger after receiving insulting comments, participants who discarded or destroyed their written ideas quickly returned to their initial state of calm.

Meanwhile, participants who kept a printout of the insult saw only a slight decrease in their overall anger.

“We expected that our method would be able to suppress anger to some extent,” said lead researcher Nobuyuki Kawai.

“However, we were surprised to see that the anger had almost completely disappeared.”

The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, build on previous work showing how interactions with physical objects can control a person's mood.

The team said their research could help office workers who find themselves in stressful situations.

“This technique can be applied in the moment, by writing down the source of the anger, as if taking a note and then throwing it away when someone feels angry in a work situation,” Kawai said.