Stressed at work? Shred your anger away

Feeling frustrated at a colleague or a project gone wrong? A study from Nagoya University in Japan has unveiled a simple yet effective method for managing anger in the workplace.

The study, led by Nobuyuki Kawai, found that physically disposing written negative feedback can significantly reduce feelings of anger and frustration.

The study builds upon previous research linking the act of writing to anger reduction, as well as the impact of physical interactions with objects on mood regulation. Kawai and his team discovered that the act of shredding or discarding a piece of paper containing negative feedback almost eliminated anger among participants.

The phenomenon, termed “backward magical contagion”, suggested that disposing the physical representation of negativity can directly influence one’s emotional state. By eliminating the tangible source of frustration, individuals experience a notable reduction in anger.

The study involved 50 student participants who were subjected to deliberately harsh feedback on their written opinions about social issues. Following the receipt of negative feedback, participants were instructed to express their anger by writing down their thoughts on a piece of paper. One group then disposed of the paper by either shredding it or discarding it in a bin, while another group retained the paper.

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Results showed that participants who disposed of the paper experienced a swift return to their baseline levels of anger, whereas those who kept the paper displayed only a marginal decrease in anger.

According to Kawai, “the meaning (interpretation) of disposal plays a critical role” in anger reduction. “This technique could be applied at the moment by writing down the source of anger as if taking a memo and then throwing it away,” he said, reported The Guardian.