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Science Weekly

Rage room or yoga class? How to beat anger

Science Weekly

The Guardian

Science

4.21K Ratings

🗓️ 9 December 2025

⏱️ 16 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

At this time of year when stress levels are high, we can find ourselves being sent over the edge by frustrating post office queues, infuriating traffic jams and tension-filled family occasions. But what’s the best way to release our anger and find peace and calm this festive season? To find out, Ian Sample hears from science correspondent Nicola Davis, who recently tried out a rage room as a means of channelling her fury, and from Brad Bushman, professor of communication at the Ohio State University. Is venting the most effective way to overcome anger, and if not, what is?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is The Guardian.

0:12.9

First of all, I had to don this kind of like boiler suit type affair and a visor as well.

0:19.9

Recently, science correspondent Nicola Davis went on a rather unusual reporting trip.

0:26.0

You go into this space and it's full of bottles and old TV screens and appliances, maybe an air friar or two.

0:37.2

You pick up your golf club or your cricket bat or your, I think it was a mace in the one that I went to,

0:44.1

and basically you smash seven bells out of anything.

0:52.4

Yeah, it's not a normal day at work, I have to say.

0:58.0

You might already have guessed where Nicola was in a so-called rage room.

1:03.0

The idea is simple, summoned all that pent-up anger and take it out on an array of breakable objects.

1:10.0

They claim that a lot of these venues put out on their website,

1:14.6

you know, come along, it's the ultimate stress relief.

1:21.8

And they've been growing in number and popularity

1:24.8

for events like Stag and Hendo's.

1:27.7

The owners of these raid rooms have said to me that it's used by people to handle

1:33.1

break-ups, they're break-up parties and they go with their mates and smash things up.

1:38.1

It certainly makes for an appealing sell at this time of year, when we're more likely to face

1:43.9

rage-inducing situations,

1:46.4

doing some last-minute shopping on the final Saturday before Christmas,

1:51.0

getting stuck on a broken down train on the way to the work party,

1:55.3

being the designated chef on Christmas Day again.

1:59.7

It's hard not to reach a point of feeling like you could just break something.

2:06.9

Most people report that anger is the motion they have the most difficulty managing.

...

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