Activities that keep you fired up don't help you turn down your anger. Ray Massey/The Image Bank via Getty Images Some commonly recommended tactics for managing anger, including hitting a punching bag, jogging and cycling, aren’t effective at helping people cool off. That’s the key takeaway of our new review of 154 studies that looked at how activities that increase versus decrease physiological arousal affect anger and aggression. Arousal is how researchers like us describe how alert and energized someone is. When you’re in a state of high physiological arousal, you’ll have increased heart ra ..read more

A bad feeling can trigger behavior that leads to something better. Rawpixel/iStock via Getty Images Plus Remember the sadness that came with the last time you failed miserably at something? Or the last time you were so anxious about an upcoming event that you couldn’t concentrate for days? These types of emotions are unpleasant to experience and can even feel overwhelming. People often try to avoid them, suppress them or ignore them. In fact, in psychology experiments, people will pay money to not feel many negative emotions. But recent research is revealing that emotions can be useful, and ev ..read more

Dean Drobot/Shutterstock Your bags are packed. You’ve sorted entertainment and snacks for your passengers and have squeezed all your holiday luggage in the car. You’re now ready to head off for your road trip – one hour after you meant to leave. There will be more traffic now, but maybe, if you put your foot down you can make up some time. It might be tempting to speed. People do so for a number of reasons, not just because they’re running late. Here’s why, what this does to your risk of being injured, and how to plan your road trip to minimise that risk. Read more: Why do people tailgate? A p ..read more

People engage in creative thinking every day, whether they realize it or not. Ekaterina Chizhevskaya/iStock via Getty Images Do you think that creativity is an innate gift? Think again. Many people believe that creative thinking is difficult – that the ability to come up with ideas in novel and interesting ways graces only some talented individuals and not most others. The media often portrays creatives as those with quirky personalities and unique talent. Researchers have also identified numerous personality traits that are associated with creativity, such as openness to new experiences, idea ..read more

Photo by Liza Summer/Pexels, CC BY You’re running late for work, your eight-year-old can’t find the homework they were supposed to have put in their school bag last night, your four-year-old objects to the blue t-shirt you’d prepared and wants the other shade of blue, and then you step on a Lego piece that didn’t get packed away when you asked. Even if you haven’t encountered this exact situation, just thinking about it might raise your hackles. Parenting comes with many emotions. Anger and frustration are not uncommon and may have been exacerbated by the stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic. It ..read more

Thousands of demonstrators gather in Washington, D.C., to support women's rights on Oct. 8, 2022. Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images Regardless of whether they live in a red state or a blue state, identify as Democrats or Republicans, or claim to be ideologically liberal or conservative, Americans have one thing in common. They are angry – especially about this year’s midterm elections. Americans’ anger is driven by contemporary political events. Republicans are enraged by troubling economic indicators and perceived spikes in crime. Democrats, meanwhile, are angry about the U.S. Supreme Cour ..read more

Shutterstock It’s a mistake to think problematic aggression is limited to those with psychiatric disorders. Healthy people have also the capacity for impulsive violence – and resulting “morally” poor behaviour. Traditionally, moral development has been facilitated by social institutions such as religion, education and societal convention. But technology could change this. If scientists could identify the predictors of reactive aggression, bio-medicine may offer ways to improve the moral behaviour of those more at risk of problematic aggression. This concept of “moral enhancement” is strongly ..read more

Approach conversations with curiosity. Ground Picture | Shutterstock Diversity and inclusion initiatives are supposed to make a workplace more equal and welcoming. But not everyone agrees on quite what that looks like or whether it’s important. Indeed, some people can be dismissive or even opposed to the idea. Let’s be clear: people from marginalised groups shouldn’t have to engage in debates about their dignity or worth, as some would have them do. But on other more general issues like inclusion or positive action initiatives, people can act resistant or dismissive if they don’t understand th ..read more

There is plenty we still don’t understand about how anger influences behaviour. (Erinn Acland), Author provided Anger is evoked from being harmed or having a goal blocked; those who experience severe, chronic challenges and trauma tend to experience more anger. If channelled into productive activities — such as addressing injustices through whistleblowing, activism and legal action — anger can fuel extremely positive changes in society. Anger can also be adaptive in hostile environments, as it can make people more sensitive and confrontational to potential threats. However, perceiving benign i ..read more

A mother and son watch as firefighters battle wildfires in Shoresh, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, on Aug. 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) Climate change poses serious risks to mental well-being. For the first time, a new climate report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has assessed how climate change is having widespread and cumulative effects on mental health globally. Over the past decade, research and public interest on the effects of climate change on mental health have been increasing, as the number of individuals and communities exposed and vulnerable to climat ..read more