Here’s one way to get rid of your anger (Picture: Getty)
We’ve all been there, stewing over a comment at work or an argument with a friend.
It’s not good for us, our minds, or our work.
Well now, researchers in Japan have discovered a simple way to let that anger go – backed up by science.
Simply write down your reaction, and shred it or throw it away.
Shredding is probably the safer option, to be honest, than throwing a crumpled note in the bin.
The team, from Nagoya University, tested out the theory on a group of participants who they deliberately annoyed.
Participants were asked to write brief opinions about social problems, such as whether smoking in public should be outlawed, and were told a doctoral student at the university would evaluate their answers.
However, they did no such thing.
Frustrating colleagues? Try this technique (Picture: Getty)
Regardless of what the participants wrote, the evaluators scored them low on intelligence, interest, friendliness, logic and rationality.
To really stick the needle in, the doctoral students also wrote the same insulting comment: ‘I cannot believe an educated person would think like this. I hope this person learns something while at the university.’
After receiving their scathing reviews, the participants were asked to write down their thoughts on the feedback, focusing on what triggered their emotions.
Then, one group was told to either dispose of the paper they wrote in a trash can or keep it in a file on their desk. A second group was told to destroy the document in a shredder or put it in a plastic box.
They were then asked to rate their anger after the insult and either keeping or getting rid of the paper.
Those who ‘threw away’ their feelings felt less angry afterwards (Picture: Nagoya University)
Unsurprisingly, all participants reported a higher level of anger after being insulted, but those who shredded or threw away the paper returned to their initial state after disposing of the paper.
‘We expected that our method would suppress anger to some extent,’ said lead researcher Professor Nobuyuki Kawai.
‘However, we were amazed that anger was eliminated almost entirely.’
He added that the results could be useful at work when people find themselves in stressful situations.
‘This technique could be applied in the moment by writing down the source of anger as if taking a memo and then throwing it away when one feels angry in a business situation,’ said Professor Kawai.
The study, published in Scientific Reports, offers solid evidence behind an anger management technique, something often missing in other actions recommended by specialists, many of which are hard to remember when angry.
Although one word of warning – in the study, the participants appeared to print out their thoughts before disposing of them. High risk in a real life office…
The research may also shed light on the benefits of the Japanese cultural tradition known as hakidashisara at the Hiyoshi shrine in Kiyosu, Aichi Prefecture, just outside of Nagoya. Hakidashi refers to the purging or spitting out of something, and sara refers to a dish or plate.
Hakidashisara is an annual festival where people smash small discs representing things that make them angry. Their findings may explain the feeling of relief that participants report after leaving the festival.