Of all our emotions, anger can be the most difficult to control. It can cause us to do all sorts of things that we regret, like saying something terrible to someone we love or sending a nasty email to a colleague. And in some cases, it can make people do things that change the course of their lives. Road rage is a great example. According to AAA, road rage incidents have increased by 7 percent annually since 1996.
Anger, in general, seems to be on the upswing. Social media may be playing a role in increasing rage, according to an August 2021 study published in Science Advances. Rising temperatures due to global climate change may also play a role. But whatever the reason, Americans are more pissed off than ever before. And it seems a lesson in anger management is in order, especially considering that many of us might be handling the problem all wrong.
A review published this month in the journal Clinical Psychology Review found that venting anger may actually make the problem much worse because it serves to rev us up rather than calm us down.
