We all know the feeling when it hits: tight jaw, elevated heart rate, tense muscles. While anger is both a normal human emotion and physiological reaction, understanding how to regulate it is essential.
A 2024 study out of Japan identified a powerful yet simple solution. Researchers found that writing down a reaction to a negative incident on a piece of paper and then getting rid of it — shredding or crumpling it into a ball and discarding in a trash can — helped release welling frustration.
“We expected that our method would suppress anger to some extent,” lead researcher Nobuyuki Kawai said in a press release. “However, we were amazed that anger was eliminated almost entirely.”
The authors believe the results could be connected to the phenomenon of “backward magical contagion,” which is the idea “that actions taken on an object (e.g. hair) associated with an individual can affect the individuals themselves,” per the study.
How does this work? The theory is that because people often believe an individual’s “essence” can be transferred to their possessions, they then respond in an accordingly emotional way when those possessions are acted upon. This was demonstrated in a 2023 study that suggests Americans commonly experience discomfort or pleasure when their belongings fall into someone else’s hands, but those emotions tend to dissipate when the items are demolished.
The writing and releasing tip may simply be another iteration of that finding: When the paper is discarded, the emotion associated with it can evaporate too.
And the throwing out portion of this practice is essential here — simply writing down your woes isn’t enough to reap the full benefits. The researchers behind the 2024 study instructed around half of the participants to store their papers in files on their desks or in clear plastic boxes instead of tossing or shredding them, and found that while those subjects’ anger dipped, it didn’t decrease nearly as much.
Along with the technique’s apparent effectiveness, its value lies in its practicality. You can deploy it everywhere from your home to a park or coffee shop, if you so choose. And the next time you feel on the verge of sending an angry email to a coworker or instigating a confrontation in the office, the trick may be the ideal alternative to calm your emotions and avoid a disastrous situation at work.
“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,” Kawai explained.
As game-changing as this research may seem, it’s likely less so to many in Japan, where discarding possessions to release negative emotions has been practiced for years. Per the release, the research builds on the Japanese festival hakidashisara: an annual cultural tradition that takes place at the Hiyoshi shrine in Kiyosu, where participants shatter small discs symbolizing things that spark their anger.
In the future, the study authors speculate that “the building blocks of this method” could be used in digital applications or behavioral therapies. But for now, a piece of paper and a pen are all you need for quick, convenient, cost-effective anger relief.
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