Anger Management Hack: Write It Down and Shred It
As we head into November, you might want to pop on down to Staples and buy yourself a shredder. (???) It might help you avoid that election-induced aneurysm that’s coming . . .
A new study found there’s an easy way to deal with angry feelings that might even eliminate them entirely. Just write down what you’re feeling and SHRED it.
Researchers had students submit their opinions on different things, including social issues. For example, should smoking in public be allowed? They were told experts would evaluate their opinions and get back to them.
But they all just got the same response designed to make them angry. It said, “I cannot believe an educated person would think like this. I hope this person learns something while at the university.” (Ouch.)
The students were then asked to write about how it made them feel. Some were asked to hang onto the paper, while others were told to toss or shred it. They also had to rate how angry they felt before and after they did.
The study found just writing about their feelings did help a little. But shredding the paper made a MUCH bigger difference. The ones who did it basically felt no anger at all. (EurekAlert)
