One of the most enduring ideas in the history of pop psychology is the belief that “venting” anger (yelling into a pillow, punching a bag, screaming in the car) provides emotional relief and prevents bigger outbursts later. This notion stems from the "catharsis hypothesis," which suggests that releasing anger in an outward and expressive way is not only healthy, but necessary. But does the theory actually hold up under scrutiny? Let’s explore what (some of) the research says.

The Origins of the Catharsis Hypothesis

The word “catharsis” comes from the ancient Greek katharsis, meaning "purification" or "cleansing." Aristotle believed that watching tragic plays allowed audiences to purge their negative emotions.

In the late 19th century, Sigmund Freud and Josef Breuer developed the “catharsis hypothesis,” postulating a hydraulic model of anger, which states that anger tends to build up just like hydraulic pressure until it is released. They believed that we need some pressure release mechanism (venting) or else it will explode in the form of an destructive outburst. At first glance, that seems logical and pretty well jives with our lived experience. Think of all of the repressed injustices that build up during a stressful day at work that then explode in unreasonable road rage on the drive home.

This “built up pressure” conception of anger became so mainstream in early therapeutic practices that it even seeped into popular culture and the way that we think and talk about anger (think “letting it out,” “blowing off steam,” and even the term “venting” itself).

However, once the idea that “popping off some steam” every now and again is a good way to manage that built up pressure, the theory didn’t really pass the test. The metaphor of emotions as steam in a pressure cooker may be intuitive, but it doesn't accurately represent how anger functions and might not give us the best insight into how to properly manage it. Let’s take a look at a few studies.

Bushman: The Punching Bag Study

One of the most oft-cited studies challenging the catharsis hypothesis was conducted by social psychologist Brad Bushman and colleagues (1999). In this study, university students were made angry by having their work criticized. They were then assigned to one of three conditions:

1. hitting a punching bag while ruminating about the person who criticized them (venting)
2. hitting a punching bag for exercise (distraction)
3. sitting quietly doing nothing (control)

The results were unexpected. Participants in the venting group felt more angry and were more likely to behave aggressively afterward (by aggressively blowing a loud horn in retaliation) compared to the distraction and control groups. Bushman concluded that venting anger doesn't purge aggression, but rather rehearses and reinforces it. He wrote a few years later that "Venting to reduce anger is like using gasoline to put out a fire — it only feeds the flame…by fueling aggressive thoughts and feelings, venting also increases aggressive responding.”

Martin: The Rant-Sites Study

It probably won’t feel like news to learn that ranting on the internet doesn’t make people calmer, but angrier. In a couple of studies titled "Anger on the Internet: The Perceived Value of Rant-Sites," Ryan C. Martin and colleagues (2013) examine the emotional effects of engaging with online rant sites.

The study surveyed users and found that while participants reported feeling more relaxed immediately after posting a rant, they also tended to experience higher levels of anger overall and expressed their anger in maladaptive ways (like more emotional outbursts). For both writing and reading rants, the impact was a negative shift in mood.

The message is starting to become pretty clear: venting tends to lead to short-term relief (at least for the person ranting), but in the long-term is pretty shit for everyone involved.

Why Venting Often Backfires

Here are a few reasons that venting can intensify anger, rather than relieve it:

Rumination: Venting often involves dwelling on the cause of anger (like in the punching bag study), which can prolong and intensify the emotional state and reinforcing negative neural pathways.
Reinforcement: Due to the hormone rush (adrenaline, cortisol, dopamine…) expressive outbursts can feel awesome, reinforcing aggressive behavior as a habitual response.
Lack of resolution: Venting does not necessarily lead to problem-solving, reflection or resolution, which as we’ll see below, are key to moving past anger.

By now, the case for venting is looking pretty dire. But before throwing it completely out the window, let’s get a bit more nuanced.

Kennedy-Moore & Watson: Raw Expression vs. Emotional Processing

In their book (based on theory and research) Expressing Emotion: Myths, Realities, and Therapeutic Strategies (1999), psychologists Eileen Kennedy-Moore and Jeanne C. Watson distinguish between raw emotional expression and therapeutic emotional processing. They argue that while expressing emotion can be helpful, it must be embedded in a framework of meaning-making and cognitive integration. Simply venting without reflection or understanding does not reduce distress and may even make it worse (as Bushman found).

According to their research, emotional expression becomes beneficial when it is part of a broader strategy that includes self-awareness, empathy, and a shift in perspective. Meaning-making, not emotional outburst, is what facilitates healing.

A few examples:

After a heated argument with your partner, you journal your thoughts and recognizes a deeper fear of abandonment (deeper self-awareness).
You rant to a friend, but rather than bolstering your righteous position, they help you shift your perspective.
In therapy, you explore the bottled-up anger toward your parents, discovering that it is masking grief and pain.

In each case, there is a new insight, deeper awareness, or a new perspective which facilitates the processing of the emotional experience. In contrast, if the venting of anger is done in a context that does not lead to new insight — such as mindlessly ranting without reflection — it tends to reinforce emotional distress rather than relieve it.

Rose: The Co-rumination Study (How to ineffectively vent to friends)

As Kennedy-Moore & Watson suggest, ranting about a bad day to a friend actually can be useful! It just has to be done right.

Research on adolescents suggests that co-rumination, a process where friends excessively dwell on problems together, can actually increase emotional distress and reinforce negative feelings (Rose, 2002). If venting to a friend involves rehearsing grievances without moving toward insight or resolution, it can have the same (or worse) downsides as venting alone.

On the other hand, emotionally supportive conversations — where a friend listens empathetically and helps you reflect or reframe the issue — can be beneficial. The key difference is whether the venting leads to validation, clarity, and constructive next steps, or if it fuels righteous indignation and reinforces a “victim mindset.”

Gross & John: The Reappraisal vs. Suppression Studies

Great! Now we know that reflection, insight, and the reframing of issues is key. Let’s have a look at how to effectively bring it about.

Unlike venting anger in order to get rid of it, cognitive reappraisal is a technique that addresses the root of emotional discomfort by shifting the way you interpret a situation, and it’s one of the most effective emotion regulation strategies identified in psychological literature. It involves reframing a situation to change the way you feel about it. Instead of focusing on an injustice or personal slight, reappraisal encourages you to consider alternative perspectives or “check your story.”

Here’s what it might look like:

Stuck in traffic and want to rip your hair out?
- “Perfect opportunity to catch up on that podcast!”
A co-worker disses your proposal?
- “They were probably just stressed out. I’ll check in with them later.”
A friend forgets your birthday?
- “They’re probably overwhelmed. It doesn’t mean they don’t care about me.”
Your partner takes too long to respond to your text?
- “They’re probably just busy. It doesn’t mean they’re ignoring me!”
Your spouse doesn’t do the dishes AGAIN?
- “They must have some hangup about cleaning the kitchen. It doesn’t mean they don’t respect me!”

Cognitive Reappraisal is not to be confused with The Power of Positive Thinking or spiritual bypassing. It’s a grounded, evidence-based strategy that transforms how you emotionally engage with situations. Unlike toxic positivity, it does not deny or suppress emotion—it works with it, turning anger into insight and growth. It’s about developing deeper awareness of what’s going on inside and consciously reframing the meaning that your mind has automatically generated for you.

What about people who never get angry?

In workshops, we sometimes encourage participants to “say it louder,” essentially getting them to turn up the heat or intensify feelings of anger. Generally, this suggestion is reserved for those who have habitually repressed anger for a long time and have difficulty accessing or even recognizing their anger. For some people, in some situations, and in the right context, outbursts of anger can be very productive as the first step in learning how to recognize, access, and use anger in constructive ways.

Generally speaking, those who are already comfortable with expressing anger are better served by inhibiting reactive outbursts, and relying instead on strategies such as assertive expression of needs and boundaries, awareness of physical sensations, meditation, writing, cognitive reappraisal, etc.

The Bottom Line

The research is clear ...kinda: none of these studies show that venting anger through aggressive outbursts leads to relief. In fact, it will likely do the opposite, reinforcing hostility and increasing the likelihood of future outbursts. While the adrenaline/dopamine hit might feel good in the moment, venting can backfire both emotionally and socially in the long term. However, emotional expression can be a piece of the puzzle when it is paired with deeper insight and a restructuring of our framing of the issue. Especially for those who struggle expressing difficult emotions at all, venting can be powerful first step for dealing with anger that has been repressed for a long time. The trick is how to use it and in what context. Instead of raw, unconscious outbursts, we want to move towards emotional processing and growth.

Anger itself isn't a problem. But we do have (culturally speaking) a big problem with how we relate to it, interpret it, and express it. How we choose to deal with anger when it comes up will largely determine whether our anger is a destructive or creative force in our lives.

If you’ve been to a Radical Honesty workshop before and would like to go a bit deeper, Marvin Schulz and I are leading our second annual Advanced 8-Day Workshop in Lake Orta, Italy, August 16th - 24th. Whether you’re prone to emotional outbursts or have never snapped at anyone in your entire life, we can all benefit from learning to master our emotions—because if we don’t, they’ll end up mastering us.

References

Bushman, B. J., Baumeister, R. F., & Stack, A. D. (1999). Catharsis, aggression, and persuasive influence: Self-fulfilling or self-defeating prophecies? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(3), 367–376.
Kennedy-Moore, E., & Watson, J. C. (1999). Expressing Emotion: Myths, Realities, and Therapeutic Strategies. Guilford Press.
Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (2003). Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: Implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(2), 348–362.
Rose, A. J. (2002). Co-rumination in the friendships of girls and boys. Child Development, 73(6), 1830–1843.
Ryan C. Martin and colleagues (2013). Anger on the Internet: The Perceived Value of Rant-Sites. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking