I’ve written before about the importance of letting go of anger. I’ve also read quite a few blog posts by others on anger, including several I published after they were submitted to me for this blog.
I recently read Originals, the second book by Adam Grant, whose Give and Take I enjoyed a few years ago.
Originals was a very interesting read and I learned a bunch of different things from it.
One thing I learned is: “…venting doesn’t diminish the flame of anger; it feeds it…It has been demonstrated that venting doesn’t work even if you think it does—and even if it makes you feel good. The better you feel after venting, the more aggressive you get: not only toward your critic, but also toward innocent bystanders.”
His research suggests sitting quietly and thinking about alternative ways to deal with your feelings, or hitting a punching bag—without thinking about the target of your anger.
How about you? Do you vent? Have you noticed that even if it makes you feel better for a bit, in the long run it’s better for your happiness to let it go? Please join the conversation with your comments…
Best regards,
David