Researchers in Japan found that writing down negative thoughts and feelings on a piece of paper, then tearing or crumpling it up and throwing it away can release anger.
Disposing of the paper plays a key role, you don't just have to write down your feelings.
"The study shows that destroying the paper containing thoughts due to a provoking event neutralizes anger, while keeping the paper does not," write the authors of the study, Yuta Kanaya and Nobuyuki Kawai.
To carry out the study, a group of 57 students were asked to write short opinions about an important social problem, such as smoking in public. Handwritten responses were intentionally graded poorly and criticized.
Participants who received negative evaluations vented their anger on paper. Some of them threw the paper away, others kept it.
In conclusion, those who threw the letter in the trash or tore it up put their anger behind them. While those who kept the letter experienced a slight reduction in anger.
According to the researchers, it is the interpretation or meaning of disposal that really matters, not just the action. They found that how landfilling is perceived and understood is crucial in determining its impact.
Eliminating anger through annihilation of an object can be achieved by acknowledging that the physical entity, in this case, the piece of paper, has been annihilated, causing the anger to also disappear.
Kanaya and Kawai noted that the study provides a 'convenient' and 'cost-effective' way to manage anger in a variety of settings, including childcare, business meetings and clinical applications.
Applying this method to a digital device or creating a specific application can be useful in various everyday situations as well as in therapy to address behavioral issues. In particular, for someone who has difficulty controlling anger at home, this method can be quite helpful.
