4 ms·

Do you know of a single study that supports catharsis? Because all studies I know of disprove or end up inconclusive.

antisthenes 5y ago
I know catharsis was extremely helpful in my grieving process. Realistically, I'm not sure how you would even design a study to accurately measure the effects. Any sort of cathartic experience would necessarily be self-reported and we all know the accuracy of self-report studies.
- JAlexoid 5y ago
  One of a few studies I've read followed people and found that people who engage in catharsis do it more often and have lower tolerances to irritants. One of the earlier studies just had people's anger tracked(anger has a very clear physiological response). So no need to have it self reported.
- klyrs 5y ago
  For the value of an anecdote: in my grieving process, I tried several forms of catharsis: hitting a heavy bag, yelling, running and biking angry. In every case, it made me more angry. I got worse. The anger turned inward. It wasn't until I stopped that approach that I made any progress in my grief. > Any sort of cathartic experience would necessarily be self-reported and we all know the accuracy of self-report studies. That's not true. In the article, they mention observational studies wherein folks who vent are more likely to lash out. That isn't self-reporting.
  - swagasaurus-rex 5y ago
    > Since the students weren’t randomly assigned to either vent or not, it’s possible that the most anxious are the ones who chose to vent (so that venting was correlated with increased anxiety, not the cause of it)
    - klyrs 5y ago
      Yes, that particular study may have flaws in its execution. But that doesn't prove that studies on venting are necessarily self-reporting.
- lcuff 5y ago
  I'm glad it helped your grieving process, and a big yes to the reality of "this is hard to study". I have an intuition that catharsis as part of a grief process might be quite different (more useful) than in situations where the anger arises out of other circumstances.
- Delk 5y ago
  I've seen someone close to me have some kind of a cathartic process and get a lot better. It also required finally facing (at least some of) their emotional blocks or trauma, so it's not like venting alone did much of anything. But I'm pretty sure that if they hadn't got the opportunity to air a lot of their previously suppressed feelings in emotional safety, the rest of it also wouldn't have happened. I don't think aggressive venting alone is going to do much, but whenever I come across one of these studies that purport to show catharsis as not existing, I can't avoid feeling there must be more to the story. Some people are also going to interpret "catharsis/venting does not work" as meaning it's perfectly wise to not listen with actual empathy and just slam solutions at people instead. But that also doesn't work.
- namlem 5y ago
  Tbf, this study only examines catharsis as it relates to anger, not grief. Those emotions involve different networks in the brain, so it's perfectly plausible that catharsis would work differently.
awb 5y ago
No, just anecdotally I've seen it work for other people and it's worked for me at times as well. But that's not to say some other method wouldn't have worked just as well. And "worked" is a loose term, that just means "happier and less angry", rather than some form of perfection.
darkerside 5y ago
I think this begs the question in assuming there is just one type of catharsis. In my experience, things like this can be done productively or unproductively, effectively or ineffectively. It's all about the execution, and different people use the same word for different things.
Swizec 5y ago
Anecdata but a good boxing session after a stressful workday always makes me feel better. High intensity running also works. Great for relieving various undirected frustrations. Especially of the angry kind. Writing in a journal does wonders for the more subtle things. When your mind is running in circles trying to process something. The act of writing it out helps me avoid circles and get to a conclusion. The only thing that never does much is bottling it up inside.
- lkbm 5y ago
  It definitely seems likely that physical activity is beneficial. I'd be curious to see studies comparing something like running vs. boxing. (Also weightlifting vs. cardio, or springs vs. long-distance.) Additionally, one thing that's often obscured in studies (or the reporting thereof) is that different people are different. Studies say that running doesn't help people lose weight, but that's looking for significant effects across a population. For some individuals, it does. The concept of "ymmv" is incredibly important when you care about individual impacts.
- JAlexoid 5y ago
  Intense physical activity isn't necessarily violent catharsis. I almost never engage in catharsis now, but I do go on half marathon runs when I'm stressed. They're not the same thing... as like yelling at my husband over random annoyances.
- slfnflctd 5y ago
  Almost 100 comments as of me adding mine, and you're the first to mention journaling so I have to chime in. It's better than some therapy I've had. Therapy can of course be hugely helpful if/when you find a decent therapist, but writing things down really is the next best thing. I haven't felt the need to do it in years, since I replaced it with a concise log which doesn't usually get bogged down in details. Mostly because I purged the majority of my worst freakouts into text files no one else is likely to read years ago. This wasn't the only thing that helped me, but it was at least half of it.
rectang 5y ago
It seems plausible that catharsis makes some people more agitated and perhaps unhappy. It also seems likely that those agitated, unhappy people continue to struggle and don't give up as opposed to those who "stop venting". "Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light." — Dylan Thomas
- mcguire 5y ago
  Don't give up, or train themselves to be agitated and unhappy?
  - rectang 5y ago
    ¿Por qué no los dos? I'm not persuaded that those who "stop venting" end up happier in the long run. It seems like a road to letting yourself be mashed down and convincing yourself that you lack power to change your circumstances. I'm glad that Malcolm X didn't pay attention to all the people who wished he'd "stop venting".
    - mcguire 5y ago
      Did Malcolm X vent by yelling at trees, punching pillows or griping to his friends?

I know catharsis was extremely helpful in my grieving process. Realistically, I'm not sure how you would even design a study to accurately measure the effects. Any sort of cathartic experience would necessarily be self-reported and we all know the accuracy of self-report studies.

JAlexoid 5y ago
One of a few studies I've read followed people and found that people who engage in catharsis do it more often and have lower tolerances to irritants. One of the earlier studies just had people's anger tracked(anger has a very clear physiological response). So no need to have it self reported.
klyrs 5y ago
For the value of an anecdote: in my grieving process, I tried several forms of catharsis: hitting a heavy bag, yelling, running and biking angry. In every case, it made me more angry. I got worse. The anger turned inward. It wasn't until I stopped that approach that I made any progress in my grief. > Any sort of cathartic experience would necessarily be self-reported and we all know the accuracy of self-report studies. That's not true. In the article, they mention observational studies wherein folks who vent are more likely to lash out. That isn't self-reporting.
- swagasaurus-rex 5y ago
  > Since the students weren’t randomly assigned to either vent or not, it’s possible that the most anxious are the ones who chose to vent (so that venting was correlated with increased anxiety, not the cause of it)
  - klyrs 5y ago
    Yes, that particular study may have flaws in its execution. But that doesn't prove that studies on venting are necessarily self-reporting.
lcuff 5y ago
I'm glad it helped your grieving process, and a big yes to the reality of "this is hard to study". I have an intuition that catharsis as part of a grief process might be quite different (more useful) than in situations where the anger arises out of other circumstances.
Delk 5y ago
I've seen someone close to me have some kind of a cathartic process and get a lot better. It also required finally facing (at least some of) their emotional blocks or trauma, so it's not like venting alone did much of anything. But I'm pretty sure that if they hadn't got the opportunity to air a lot of their previously suppressed feelings in emotional safety, the rest of it also wouldn't have happened. I don't think aggressive venting alone is going to do much, but whenever I come across one of these studies that purport to show catharsis as not existing, I can't avoid feeling there must be more to the story. Some people are also going to interpret "catharsis/venting does not work" as meaning it's perfectly wise to not listen with actual empathy and just slam solutions at people instead. But that also doesn't work.
namlem 5y ago
Tbf, this study only examines catharsis as it relates to anger, not grief. Those emotions involve different networks in the brain, so it's perfectly plausible that catharsis would work differently.

awb 5y ago

No, just anecdotally I've seen it work for other people and it's worked for me at times as well. But that's not to say some other method wouldn't have worked just as well. And "worked" is a loose term, that just means "happier and less angry", rather than some form of perfection.

darkerside 5y ago

I think this begs the question in assuming there is just one type of catharsis. In my experience, things like this can be done productively or unproductively, effectively or ineffectively. It's all about the execution, and different people use the same word for different things.

Swizec 5y ago

Anecdata but a good boxing session after a stressful workday always makes me feel better. High intensity running also works. Great for relieving various undirected frustrations. Especially of the angry kind. Writing in a journal does wonders for the more subtle things. When your mind is running in circles trying to process something. The act of writing it out helps me avoid circles and get to a conclusion. The only thing that never does much is bottling it up inside.

lkbm 5y ago
It definitely seems likely that physical activity is beneficial. I'd be curious to see studies comparing something like running vs. boxing. (Also weightlifting vs. cardio, or springs vs. long-distance.) Additionally, one thing that's often obscured in studies (or the reporting thereof) is that different people are different. Studies say that running doesn't help people lose weight, but that's looking for significant effects across a population. For some individuals, it does. The concept of "ymmv" is incredibly important when you care about individual impacts.
JAlexoid 5y ago
Intense physical activity isn't necessarily violent catharsis. I almost never engage in catharsis now, but I do go on half marathon runs when I'm stressed. They're not the same thing... as like yelling at my husband over random annoyances.
slfnflctd 5y ago
Almost 100 comments as of me adding mine, and you're the first to mention journaling so I have to chime in. It's better than some therapy I've had. Therapy can of course be hugely helpful if/when you find a decent therapist, but writing things down really is the next best thing. I haven't felt the need to do it in years, since I replaced it with a concise log which doesn't usually get bogged down in details. Mostly because I purged the majority of my worst freakouts into text files no one else is likely to read years ago. This wasn't the only thing that helped me, but it was at least half of it.

rectang 5y ago

It seems plausible that catharsis makes some people more agitated and perhaps unhappy. It also seems likely that those agitated, unhappy people continue to struggle and don't give up as opposed to those who "stop venting". "Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light." — Dylan Thomas

mcguire 5y ago
Don't give up, or train themselves to be agitated and unhappy?
- rectang 5y ago
  ¿Por qué no los dos? I'm not persuaded that those who "stop venting" end up happier in the long run. It seems like a road to letting yourself be mashed down and convincing yourself that you lack power to change your circumstances. I'm glad that Malcolm X didn't pay attention to all the people who wished he'd "stop venting".
  - mcguire 5y ago
    Did Malcolm X vent by yelling at trees, punching pillows or griping to his friends?