PSY101
Venting as a Way of Relieving Anger
University of Arizona Global Campus
PSY101: Introduction to Psychology
Part I: The Annotated Bibliography
Nils, F., & Rimé, B. (2012). Beyond the myth of venting: Social sharing modes determine the
benefits of emotional disclosure. European Journal of Social Psychology, 42(6), 672-681.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.1880
The authors of this publication present a study on the importance of sharing emotional
experiences, especially anger, with others as a way of venting. According to Nils & Rimé (2012),
sharing the emotional experience with others helps the subjects reduce the emotional impact of
the experiences. The research was based on a model of how and when the sharing of emotions is
of benefit. Socio-effective and cognitive modes were employed heavily in the study. The end
result expected of the socio-affective mode is that it would cause temporary buffering of
emotional distress. The cognitive mode, on the other hand, was expected to provide long-term
recovery.
Participants of the study included 89 students of psychology with an average age of 20.5.
The students were exposed to four conditions of the experiment randomly. The first part of the
experiment had all the participants participate. One of the conditions the participants were
exposed to is short emotion-inducing clips on human nature. The videos were selected based on
their capacity to induce emotions, messages, and ethical considerations in the study.
After watching the videos, the students were allowed to share their experiences from the
same. The listeners of the experiences analyzed each response and determined whether it was
socio-affective or cognitive. On further analysis, Nils & Rimé (2012) discovered that from the
, participants sharing their experiences, they were able to feel better, gained different perspectives
of the subjects watched and had a significant reduction in emotional disturbance. They conclude
that sharing emotional experiences can help significantly in reducing distress
Bushman, B. J. (2002). Does venting anger feed or extinguish the flame? Catharsis, rumination,
distraction, anger, and aggressive responding. Personality and social psychology
bulletin, 28(6), 724-731. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167202289002
In this article, Bushman (2002) presents results from a study conducted to determine
whether venting anger reduces or increases tension associated with it. The key issue in the
research was the effectiveness of rumination and distraction in reducing anger or even getting rid
of it completely. The research involved up to 600 students undertaking undergraduate
psychology courses. The students volunteered to take part in the project and were awarded bonus
credits for volunteering. One of the ways through which the participants were tested is through
the issuance of an essay topic on their thoughts on abortion. They were told that their fellow
participants would examine the essays, which was not the case. The essays were later returned,
and all participants had poor ratings with annoying comments.
The participants were then asked to select from a list of activities they would perform to
relieve the anger they developed from the ratings and comments. The activities included hitting a
punching bag, solitaire, watching a movie, and reading a short story. More male participants
preferred to punch the bag. Of the participants, men hit the bag harder and more times than
women. When results were compared to those of individuals who took part in distraction
activities: solitaire, watching a movie, and reading a short story, the author observed that those
who opted for the other distractive activities had a more significant change in their anger.
The article suggests that engaging in physical activities will not necessarily increase
anger but will reduce it even if it is aggressive. However, Bushman (2002) notes that physical
Venting as a Way of Relieving Anger
University of Arizona Global Campus
PSY101: Introduction to Psychology
Part I: The Annotated Bibliography
Nils, F., & Rimé, B. (2012). Beyond the myth of venting: Social sharing modes determine the
benefits of emotional disclosure. European Journal of Social Psychology, 42(6), 672-681.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.1880
The authors of this publication present a study on the importance of sharing emotional
experiences, especially anger, with others as a way of venting. According to Nils & Rimé (2012),
sharing the emotional experience with others helps the subjects reduce the emotional impact of
the experiences. The research was based on a model of how and when the sharing of emotions is
of benefit. Socio-effective and cognitive modes were employed heavily in the study. The end
result expected of the socio-affective mode is that it would cause temporary buffering of
emotional distress. The cognitive mode, on the other hand, was expected to provide long-term
recovery.
Participants of the study included 89 students of psychology with an average age of 20.5.
The students were exposed to four conditions of the experiment randomly. The first part of the
experiment had all the participants participate. One of the conditions the participants were
exposed to is short emotion-inducing clips on human nature. The videos were selected based on
their capacity to induce emotions, messages, and ethical considerations in the study.
After watching the videos, the students were allowed to share their experiences from the
same. The listeners of the experiences analyzed each response and determined whether it was
socio-affective or cognitive. On further analysis, Nils & Rimé (2012) discovered that from the
, participants sharing their experiences, they were able to feel better, gained different perspectives
of the subjects watched and had a significant reduction in emotional disturbance. They conclude
that sharing emotional experiences can help significantly in reducing distress
Bushman, B. J. (2002). Does venting anger feed or extinguish the flame? Catharsis, rumination,
distraction, anger, and aggressive responding. Personality and social psychology
bulletin, 28(6), 724-731. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167202289002
In this article, Bushman (2002) presents results from a study conducted to determine
whether venting anger reduces or increases tension associated with it. The key issue in the
research was the effectiveness of rumination and distraction in reducing anger or even getting rid
of it completely. The research involved up to 600 students undertaking undergraduate
psychology courses. The students volunteered to take part in the project and were awarded bonus
credits for volunteering. One of the ways through which the participants were tested is through
the issuance of an essay topic on their thoughts on abortion. They were told that their fellow
participants would examine the essays, which was not the case. The essays were later returned,
and all participants had poor ratings with annoying comments.
The participants were then asked to select from a list of activities they would perform to
relieve the anger they developed from the ratings and comments. The activities included hitting a
punching bag, solitaire, watching a movie, and reading a short story. More male participants
preferred to punch the bag. Of the participants, men hit the bag harder and more times than
women. When results were compared to those of individuals who took part in distraction
activities: solitaire, watching a movie, and reading a short story, the author observed that those
who opted for the other distractive activities had a more significant change in their anger.
The article suggests that engaging in physical activities will not necessarily increase
anger but will reduce it even if it is aggressive. However, Bushman (2002) notes that physical
