Rage rooms, also known as anger rooms or smash rooms, are spaces where people can vent their frustration by breaking or smashing objects. The idea behind this is that people can express their anger in a safe and controlled environment, which is thought to reduce or defuse pent-up emotions and relieve stress.
These anger rooms have become popular as recreational therapy or self-therapy in recent years. It seems like an appealing outlet for frustration where you can smash, crash, break things free of consequences—or so it seems.
Mental health research suggests that while these rooms keep people safe while they vent their rage, the act of venting your anger in this way has more serious consequences. Venting anger doesn't actually result in catharsis or relief—instead, it typically reinforces and even worsens anger.
At a Glance
Anger rooms have become more popular in recent years, both as a recreational and self-help activity. While it might be tempting a tempting way to blow off some stream, evidence suggests that such outbursts of anger mean you're more likely to respond with violence to future anger.
Learning more about the potential uses, and risks, of anger rooms is important if you do decide to try your hand at smashing and bashing your anger away.
How Do Rage Rooms Work?
Rage rooms are set up with breakable items for patrons to smash for a few minutes at a time. In an anger room, you have the opportunity to destroy something without having to feel bad about it or even clean up afterward.
So, what's the idea behind this activity? What does it have to do with stress management?
Anger rooms are based on thecatharsistheory of aggression. This theory suggests that if people are able to vent their frustration and anger, this anger will decrease.
Blowing off steam makes many people feel better at the moment, but are these rooms healthy stress management strategies or effective for anger management in the long run? How do they compare to simply hitting a pillow or going to the gym to blow off steam?
The fact is that there simply isn't a lot of research on rage rooms and their effects on mental well-being. However, some researchers are exploring possible applications for such activities.
In one study, researchers created a virtual "smash room" that allowed cancer patients to smash and break objects using a VR device. Reviews of the activity were mixed.
While some felt it was enjoyable, others reported disliking expressing emotions in such a public, visible way. One participant suggested that mending or organizing objects would have been more enjoyable than breaking them.
Such findings suggest that more research is needed to understand how anger rooms might affect people.
What Rage Rooms Are *Really* Accomplishing
The idea behind them has been around for quite a while—after all, most of us have been angry enough to break something at least once in a while.
While there's not a lot of data about rage rooms, researchers have looked at what happens when people act out on feelings of aggression, frustration, and anger.
They May Provide a Short-Term Outlet for Anger
Anger rooms might provide some temporary relief from strong emotions. When you're angry and frustrated, finding an outlet to release some of your tension can feel good.
When you combine this with anger rooms being very physical (with all that swinging bats, smashing glass, and throwing objects against the wall), you might walk away feeling a temporary sense of release.
It Fosters an Unhealthy Expression of Anger
While venting anger is often seen as a way to effectively relief feelings of frustration and stress, research has actually found that blowing off steam through physical acts of aggression and violence makes your anger worse.
Simply put, it's not a healthy way to deal with difficult emotions. Instead of learning effective anger management techniques and coping skills, you are reinforcing an anger response.
Studies have found that physical outbursts of aggression teach your body to respond to feelings of stress, anger, and frustration with violence.
This may seem counter-intuitive, but think about it: if acting out your aggression makes you feel better afterward, you’re probably going to be more likely to be aggressive in the future, right?
Anger Rooms Probably Lead to More Anger
We can't say for sure what the effects of visiting one of these rage rooms might be—there's just no research or statistics assessing their short- or long-term effects.
The available research does suggest that acting aggressively does lead to more aggressive behavior in the future. One study found that people who acted aggressively after they were provoked did sometimes feel better immediately after.
Unfortunately, this relief was short-lived. People who felt better after they acted aggressively were then more likely to respond with aggression the next time they felt angry.
Healthier Alternatives to Rage Rooms
In addition to evaluating the source of frustration, research has also found that some other forms of stress management may be more effective than taking our aggression on inanimate objects.
These things have all been shown to help decrease your feelings of frustration and anger:
- Taking a break (remember the old admonition of counting to ten when angry?)
- Practicing breathing exercises,
- Trying meditation (even if you’ve never practiced meditation before)
Other cognitive-behavioral techniques have also been found to be helpful without the damaging side-effects of venting anger; these techniques include the following:
- Progressive muscle relaxation: Take some time to tense each muscle in your body and then consciously relax them to help calm and soothe yourself physically.
- Cognitive restructuring: This means shifting your perspective to a less angry one by thinking of things differently.
- Social skills training or assertiveness training: This form of behavior therapy teaches you to relate to others in a healthier way so you can avoid becoming as angry and stressed.
- Problem-solving: Not all problems can be easily fixed, but many can. Becoming more proactive when possible can help minimize stressors in your life.
- Exposure to the stressor: This is recommended for many issues including anxiety, and involves facing something that causes you to stress, in small but increasing doses until you feel less stressed and more able to cope with the stressor.
- Education about anger and anger management: Learning more about anger and how to have a healthy relationship with your anger can minimize the need for a place to blow off steam and help you keep yourself from taking out your anger on others.
- Stress management: Being proactive with stress management can help you to build resilience so you don't feel as stressed by new things that affect you in your life. There are many effective ways to manage stress!
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Can Rage Rooms Have *Any* Benefits?
This begs the question—if venting our anger by breaking things helps many of us feel like we’ve decreased our anger, isn’t it a useful activity to try when we’re at our wit’s end?
Could it be a worthwhile activity for a Saturday night out with friends? Doesn’t this research miss that these rooms are all in good fun?
For many, there might be something beneficial to this activity after all. There is a reason these places are drawing crowds and increasing in popularity, and they do bring some benefits as well, especially if you already know the caveats.
The following are a few good reasons you may want to visit one of these places after all:
To Try Something New
If you’re curious about these places you may want to try them out to satisfy your curiosity! It can be an interesting form of exercise. It can give you a funny story to share with your friends. It can also be a fun activity to bring them along to, which leads to the next point.
For Bonding
If you’re going with a group of friends, it may be a bonding experience to break things together. If you go with your partner or a friend who is experiencing the same stress you are, this can also be a fun way to blow off steam and connect.
Just be aware that this can increase your likelihood of being aggressive, and make it a point to develop habits that will help you manage your anger in other ways (such as those listed above).
For Pure Fun
Studies also show that it’s important to have fun in your life to improve your mood, manage stress, and maintain balance. If it’s fun for you to go out and break things, this may still be a much healthier activity than sitting at home ruminating over what’s making you angry.
If it gets you into a better mood with a spirit of fun, you may want to go for it. (Again, just remember to create some other habits for yourself as well that can help you to manage stress and anger in your life.)
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