Rage rooms: can smashing stuff up really help to relieve anger and stress? | Mental health

IIf you struggle to count to 10 when anger flares, a new trend offers a more practical approach. Rage rooms are popping up across the UK, allowing punters to smash seven bells from old TVs, plates and furniture.

Such pay-to-destroy companies are believed to have originated in Japan in 2008, but have since gone global. In the UK alone, venues can be found in places from Birmingham to Brighton, with many promoting destruction as a stress-relieving experience.

According to Smash It Rage Rooms in south-east London, where a 30-minute solo session costs £50, “each smash is a cathartic release, a burst of pure, primal joy”.

“We’re at capacity — we’ve been looking for another location because we can’t keep up with the demand,” said Amelia Smewing, who started the business with her husband after exploring ways to help their son deal with PTSD.

Rob Clark, operations director at Urban

Clark said many clients are facing difficult personal challenges. “The feedback we get is always good – the Rage Room offers them a safe and constructive way to release their pent-up anger and frustration, and it makes a real difference to their mental well-being,” he said, adding that several nursing homes regularly bring their teens in, while a handful of therapists actively refer clients when traditional talk therapy isn’t enough.

Lucy Bee, the founder of Rage Rooms Leamington Spa, said her venue also hosted visits to schools and children’s homes. But people also come just to have fun. “It’s so contrary to how we’re conditioned to behave,” she said. “It’s so mean.”

As in other places, Bee said, the typical “rager” is a woman. “We’re talking early 40s, a wife, a few kids, a good job,” she said.

Bee added that after training as a holistic therapist, she discovered that many women feel guilt and shame when they feel angry.

“A lot of women…are at the breaking point, constantly reeling, living in survival mode. And that gives them a way to let go,” Bee said, adding that for some people who are struggling, this experience could serve as a gateway to seeking further help.

Despite a happy home life, I am frustrated by house repairs, dismal train services and the state of the nation. So I put on a protective suit, lower my visor and enter one of Bee’s rage rooms.

In seconds, I transform the wine bottles into glass explosions, laughing in surprise. But I don’t like noise and I think more about the mess than the experience of going out.

Experts also have scruples.

Last year, Dr. Sophie Kjærvik, now at the Norwegian Center for the Study of Violence and Traumatic Stress in Oslo, co-authored a study on activities that fuel or extinguish rage. She said the evidence suggested that “ventilation” was actually counterproductive.

“You activate your body in a way that your brain can interpret as a sign of anger,” she said. “We have found that practicing meditation, mindfulness activities and muscle relaxation are much more productive ways to manage anger.” Kjærvik said cognitive behavioral therapy was also very effective.

Dr. Ryan Martin, dean of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and author of several books on anger, said people who relied on catharsis stayed angry longer and were more likely to lash out aggressively afterward. “I think the problem is it feels good, so people think it’s good for them,” he said. “But at the same time, other things that we know can make us feel good when we’re emotional, like drinking, overeating,… aren’t necessarily good for us either.”

Professor Brad Bushman of Ohio State University, co-author of the study with Kjærvik, also expressed concerns. “When people harbor their anger in these anger rooms, they just train themselves to behave more aggressively,” he said.

Smewing emphasized that rage rooms were a conditioned environment. “Just because they destroyed the air fryer in the room in a rage doesn’t mean they’re going to go home and destroy the air fryer in their kitchen,” she said.

Suzy Reading, chartered member of the British Psychological Society and author of the book How to be Selfish, said it was not that anger should not be expressed, but that there were many ways to do so, including writing and breathing exercises. Reading also said that while rage rooms can provide an outlet for stress, they cost money and don’t provide information about the causes of these feelings.

“If we don’t understand what caused this, then we just go back to our family, work and community lives, and nothing changes,” she said. “And for many women, [the cause is] there will be unmet needs.

Reading said it might be important to overcome some angry feelings in order to have effective conversations. “We want to regulate our nervous system so we can articulate well,” she said.