Is venting good for you?

Is venting good for you?

When we’re frustrated or angry, we all vent.  But is it good for us? 

The notion is familiar enough: when anger starts to build, it’s best to let off a little steam; otherwise, if we let it build, our system might overload, and burst. It’s called the hydraulic model of anger and was popularized by Dr. Sigmund Freud (though it dates to the Greeks). Explains Dr. Tammy Lenski, who specializes in conflict resolution:

“[Freud] believed that, much like hydraulic pressure building up in a closed environment, anger builds up inside people. Unless released via some kind of emotional catharsis, explosion would be the ultimate outcome.”

By and large, psychologist agree that, if done in the right manner, blowing off some steam can be cathartic. But they caution that we shouldn’t overdo it.  Venting, they say, can be a fly-trap, preventing us from taking needed action.

According to an article at www.youarenotsosmart.com: “Catharsis will make you feel good, but it’s also an emotional hamster wheel. The emotion which led you to catharsis will still be there afterward, and if it made you feel good, you’ll seek it out again in the future.”

Said psychologist Leon Seltzer, in a recent Psychology Today article on the virtues and vices of venting:

“Generally, it’s better to let things out than hold them in. And doing so feels almost akin to problem-solving – in the moment, at least. Venting your frustrations alleviates tension and stress. You almost feel better – and ‘lighter’ – after sharing some perceived threat, indignity, misfortune or injustice.

“Yet ventilating, when it’s confined to repetitively self-vindicating messages, can also be self-limiting. . . it can become little more than an excuse for not acting to resolve a problem or confront an issue that requires confrontation.”

Benefits/Drawbacks of Venting

What are some benefits of venting? According to Seltzer, it releases frustration, can restore your equilibrium and might lead to new ideas (suggested by your friend). Plus, of course, taking immediate action (e.g., confronting the boss that you can’t stand) might not be the wisest course of action.

A piece at wisegeek.net adds: “Anger can sometimes be a catalyst that moves a person to positive action.” And Lene Lynn, writing for hubpages.com, points out: “. . . all manner of health professionals say that releasing the rage is way more beneficial to the body than keeping it inside and creating a ‘stack attack’”, that is, allowing issue after issue to build up inside of us. 

But venting has its drawbacks.  Maintains Lenski: “The value of venting is a myth. The theory on which the idea of venting anger is based has been repeatedly disproven since the 1950s. While it may feel cathartic, venting anger doesn’t purge aggression from your system or improve psychological state.”

Lenski cites research which demonstrates that rumination (the act of focusing on your angry feelings) has been shown to increase angry feelings and increase displaced aggression. And she adds that using substitute targets (e.g., punching a pillow, pounding a nail) “don’t reduce arousal.” Further, Lenski says, “if the act of venting becomes repeated, it risks becoming a habit.”

Seltzer adds a host of negatives: venting can damage or destroy relationships, can actually increase your level of distress, can delay needed action, and allows people to deny personal responsibility. Plus, as Lenski noted, the more you do it, the better you get at it – and the more likely you will be to use it.

What then, are we to do when emotions build?

The key, of course, is knowing when to vent, and when to act. And, certainly, learning a few new techniques, for releasing our emotions, won’t hurt. Here then are a few tips to consider:

·         Cooling off: “Take your anger off the stove. Let it go from a boil to a simmer to a lukewarm state where you no longer want to sink your teeth into the side of buffalo.” (from www.youarenotsosmart.com)

·         Taking action: “. . . cooling off is not the same thing as not dealing with your anger at all.  [Psychologist Brad] Bushman suggests you delay your response, relax or distract yourself with an activity totally incompatible with aggression.” (from www.youarenotsosmart.com)

·         Journal entries – if you’re angry at another person, life coach Lene Lynn says to try this three-step approach: 1. Write down what you’re feeling; 2. Write from the other person’s perspective (e.g., how you think they might resolve the problem); and 3. How you think a third person (totally objective party) might view the situation.

It’s always a good time, it seems, to rein-vent yourself.

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9 Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick

9 Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick

We spotted this provocative blog post from lifestyledezine.com, and while the nine “secrets” aren’t really secrets at all, the underlying theme is sound – biology aside, we have some control over our well-being. Most of these “secrets” are well known and just one (in my reading of the literature) is debatable. Here are the nine.  

1.       Make friends a priority.  It’s not a standard recommendation, but the research is clear – there’s a strong connection between friendships and a healthy immune system.  The lifestyledezine article cites studies out of Harvard, Sweden and Buffalo to fortify the point that individuals with strong friendships (aka “positive social attachments”) were less likely to suffer from heart disease, depression and anxiety, and less prone to suffer memory loss and other cognitive disorders. 

2.       Embrace bacteria. In most circles, “bacteria” remains something of a dirty word, and that’s probably not the healthiest thing.  The article maintains: “ ‘Good’ germs can improve your metabolism, enhance your immunity and reduce inflammation,” and then cites a study out of the University of California, San Diego that found that “the more bacteria you have on the surface of your skin, the better you combat inflammation.” 

3.       Focus on reducing stress.  The lifestyledezine article highlights three studies (out of Duke, USC and the American Psychological Assn.) that support what we’ve learned from the popular press: 1. It’s important to learn relaxation techniques, and the sooner the better (not surprisingly, the APA study found that stress is a top health concern for high school students); 2. Stress increases your chance of contracting an infection; and 3. Exercise can reduce body tension by as much as 20%.  And the article offers two more semi-standard suggestions: laugh often, and eat a diet rich in vegetables (green and raw).

4.       Take more naps.  It’s no secret – we’re a sleep deprived nation and the more sleep we can garner, the better.  Recently a sleep expert offered this tip: if you’re going to take a nap, make it for 20 minutes or less, or 90 minutes or more.

5.       Lean on herbal remedies more than supplements.   As popular as supplements are, and have been for the last decade or two, they are coming under increasing scrutiny, with experts reminding us that minerals and nutrients gathered from our food supply – as opposed to synthetic sources – is the wiser, healthier choice. Adds lifestyledezine.com: “Skip pre-packaged bottled versions and sip unflavored loose-leaf green tea.”

6.       Eat garlic. But not in mixed company.

7.       Eat less.  I knew that.

8.       Stay pH balanced.  I’ll be honest, as careful as I am about watching what I eat, I rarely (read: never) think in terms of my pH balance. The lifestyledezine article says that “when pH levels fall below [the midpoint], the body suffers from a condition called acidosis, which even in minor cases can cause fatigue, rapid breathing, stomach problems and confusion.” No surprise here: most vegetables are alkalizing, balancing the acidic nature of meats and sugars most common in the American diet.

9.       Detox regularly.  This is the “secret” with which I take issue. My reading of the literature sees no scientific basis for this recommendation. Webmd.com quotes Frank Sacks, an epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health: “There is no basis in human biology that indicates we need fasting or any other detox formula to detoxify the body because we have our own internal organs and immune system that take care of excreting toxins." Webmd.com defines detoxing as follows: “Detoxing is based on the concept that your body needs help getting rid of unwanted toxins from contaminants in processed foods and the environment.”

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Why Do New Things Make Us Feel So Good?

We love new things. New sights, new sounds. New clothes, new books, new liquid refreshments.  Novelty is the key and novelty is probably what makes Facebook and texting, and travel, so appealing.

Neuroscientists have identified a “novelty center” in our brain, and they believe that activating this center not only makes us feel good (by releasing dopamine) but may enhance our ability to learn.

Wrote Belle Beth Cooper, in a piece for LifeHacker.com: “Researchers have long suspected that the human brain is particularly attracted to new information and that this might be important for learning.”

The formal name for the novelty center is the substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA), which is located in the midbrain and responds to entirely novel stimuli. Explained Cooper, in her lifehacker.com piece: “The SN/VTA only activated when [study participants were] shown absolutely novel stimuli – images that had never been seen before. Other related areas of the brain still reacted to the images, but the reactions decreased slightly with each showing as they became more familiar.”

The study at issue was the work of professors Emrah Duzel and Nico Bunzeck of University College London (UCL) and it reminded me of a study years back in which rats, searching for food, chose a novel route instead of a more expedient one. In other words, the rats were willing to wait for their reward (food) for a chance to explore.  So curiosity and novelty, it seems, is built into the DNA of the entire animal kingdom (a point reinforced nightly when I take our dogs for a walk around Daniel Island).

Said Dr. Duzel, in a press release accompanying his study:  “When we see something new, we see it has a potential for rewarding us in some way. This potential that lies in new things motivates us to explore our environment for rewards. The brain learns that the stimulus, once familiar, has no reward associated with it and so it loses its potential. For this reason, only completely new objects activate the midbrain area and increase our levels of dopamine.”

Duzel and Bunzeck’s findings may eventually find their way to the classroom.  Said Dr. Duzel: “We hope that these findings will have an impact on behavioural treatments for patients with poor memory. Current practice by behavioural psychologists aims to improve memory through repeatedly exposing a person to information – just as we do when we revise for an exam. This study shows that [learning] is more effective if you mix new facts in with the old. You actually learn better, even though your brain is also tied up with new information.”