When I bang my thumb with a hammer I yell FUUUUUCCCCKKKKKK as loud as I can, are you telling me that doesn't make the pain less? I'm almost 100% certain that form of catharsis works. It even works in reverse for me, if I'm having a moment of intense emotional strain, punching the wall (also yelling fuck as loud as possible) resets my brain. To say catharsis doesn't work seems to be a limitation of the definition of catharsis in these studies.

That's mischaracterization of catharsis.

As for releasing intense emotional strain - you're more likely to lash out.

Have you tried not punching the wall and have a time out instead? Because people who "punch the wall" are, according to multiple studies, more likely to lash out and be abusive.

> Because people who "punch the wall" are, according to multiple studies, more likely to lash out and be abusive.

Presumably the wall-punching and tendency toward other physical/emotional abuses are tied to one or more underlying common causes.

That is, people shouldn't be told to punch a wall (for cartharsis) or even necessarily not to do so (because it'll make you abusive), but those for whom that is a temptation or tendency should seek assistance to uncover and address the root causes.

I guess that's my point, how do you disentangle the need for cathartic outburst from the negative connotations and actual perhaps small positive impact of the cathartic outburst? Is practicing karate and punching boards on a schedule ok?

I feel like it's different when it's a scheduled, planned release, rather than losing control in the moment.

Like, my overall emotional regulation is way better on the weeks when I've been more active, with cycling, lane swimming, taking walks, etc. And I'm certainly not doing those things "in anger", but it's still absolutely a kind of release.

Of course, the article is mostly talking about venting as a scheduled, planned thing too, so I don't know.

Have you had what you would consider an extreme event which didn't ripple beyond a need to maintain regular exercise? One time I was upset because my now wife decided to spend time with friends instead of with me on the last day before I drove off to grad school across the country. I rode my bike around a large lake (not something I would normally do). Is that somehow doing it wrong? It seems like the whole issue is "don't rock the boat or people will look at you sideways and make you an outcast". Works fine to be and express yourself in a safe place (accepting people/sound-proof walls), even if its peakish at times, just my experience.

I have been going through some significant personal issues over the past year, and finding productive outlets for processing those feelings/emotions/etc was indeed the genesis for getting more serious about a fitness routine.

But now that I'm there, it's clear that this really is a helpful long-term pattern to follow for mental well-being, quite apart from being now in my mid-30s and needing to actually be intentional about staying in shape.

> That's mischaracterization of catharsis.

Please explain? Pain is both processed physically and psychologically in my experience. Is the suggestion that if I feel pain psychologically I'm abnormal? Catharsis is a name given to a human action as old as time.

> Because people who "punch the wall" are, according to multiple studies, more likely to lash out and be abusive.

I would be curious to see the studies, perhaps people who lash out are more likely to have issues worth punching a wall over? All sorts of biases could come into play.

> Have you tried not punching the wall and have a time out instead?

The times I've punched a wall are too few to derive meaningful statistics vs other methods of unwinding.

Yelling at the time of physical pain is plain reaction, it's not catharsis... specially not in this context. It's not a violent release of pent up emotions.

I think you missed an opportunity for a "find relief".