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Sending Angry Emails Just Makes You Angrier

An anonymous reader writes: Sending a blistering email can be cathartic. People consistently report feeling better after venting, and doing so over email is no exception. But researchers find those who vent their anger tend to only become angrier and more aggressive, and doing so in an impersonal way like email only makes it worse. "E-venting is particularly risky, experts say. We think it's private because we can do it in a secluded place, like our bed while we're in our pajamas. We have our phones with us all the time so we often e-vent before we've had a chance to calm down. A rant put out via the Internet is a click away from being shared." Combine this with how we typically sound angrier in print, and can't see feedback from our targets, it can lead to more volatile situations than we intended.

6 of 161 comments (clear)

  1. HOW DARE YOU! by ganjadude · · Score: 5, Funny

    try and tell ME that Ill be more angry after writing angry emails. I oughta come over there right now and show you how angry I can get

    sincerely

    Dude~

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  2. Anger is for cows. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    You are all angry cows. Angry cows say moo-grr. MOOOOO-GRRRR! MOOOOOO-GRRRRR! Moo-grr angry cows MOOO-GRRR. Moo-grrr say the angry cows. YOU ANGRY COWS!!

  3. Re:Same as off line by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Punching pillows doesn't work because pillows feel no pain. The psychological satisfaction from violent expressions of anger stems primarily from the fact that you are inflicting suffering upon the object of your anger.

    That's why the best anger-management strategy involves careful planning, a good mask, rubber gloves, and a solid alibi.

  4. Re:Same as off line by macs4all · · Score: 3, Funny

    Some people even now state that bottling them up is better.

    Sounds like one of my favorite Marge Simpson quotes, from the Episode "Moaning Lisa":

    "It doesn't matter how you feel inside, you know. It's what shows up on the outside that counts. Take all your bad feelings and push them down, all the way down past your knees, until you're almost walking on them. And then you'll fit in, and you'll be invited to parties, and boys will like you. And happiness will follow."

  5. Re:Same as off line by phantomfive · · Score: 3, Funny

    If you can do that politely, you are a better man than me.

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  6. Re:E-Vent by The+Real+Dr+John · · Score: 3, Funny

    Every time I send an angry email to myself, I get pissed off.

    --
    A brain is a terrible thing to waste... Mind? That's debatable.