Researchers from the University of Nagoya have highlighted how to reduce anger using nothing but a pen and paper.
We all have unique tactics and methods of mitigating rising anger levels, with popular examples being breathing techniques, meditation, or screaming into a pillow. Though not all of our tactics are completely healthy, most of us are doing our best to not constantly fly off the handle. Here’s how to reduce anger using nothing but a pen and paper.
How to reduce anger using a pen and paper
To conduct their study, which was published this week in the Scientific Reports journal, researchers asked participants to write down their opinions on social issues like smoking in public. The participants understood that students would be marking their work, but this was actually a misdirection.
Regardless of the individual responses, doctoral students marked all responses as scoring low in intelligence, interest, friendliness, logic, and rationality. To really rub the failure in, they also attached a statement that read: “I cannot believe an educated person would think like this. I hope this person learns something while at the university.”
Once sufficiently enraged, participants were then asked to dispose of the feedback in a number of ways. Some were told to put it on the desk, others were instructed to bin it and some were even told to shred it to pieces.
Interestingly, the researchers found a dramatic reduction in anger for those who had disposed of their paper through shredding. In contrast, those who held onto it only experienced a slight reduction in anger.
“We expected that our method would suppress anger to some extent,” lead researcher Nobuyuki Kawai said in a statement. “However, we were amazed that anger was eliminated almost entirely.”
How is this useful?
To cash in on the science-backed hack, all you need to do is write down your frustrations and then immediately discard them. This could be as simple as throwing it in the bin or viciously tearing it into thousands of pieces.
The lead author added: “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.”
The study further highlighted how the process of discarding anger is baked into Japanese culture in the form of the Hakidashisara festival. Each year, Japanese people smash disks that correspond to what frustrates them.
