Is Ranting Good For You?

Do you ever have times when you’re so frustrated to a point where you feel like you will soon explode if you don’t rant about it? Personally, I love ranting. I find it as a source of release for my anger and frustrations. However, lately, I’ve noticed that ranting can sometimes make me madder because while I’m ranting, I find more reasons to be angry which further increases my anger. This really made me question if ranting is as healthy as it seems to be.

Ranting definitely can be beneficial if the rant is about a topic that needs addressing such as political or news related events as that it could be a good way to learn about real-life problems (themedium.ca). Ranting about personal problems can also be healthy IF it is done in the right way. Ranting is also an effective way of venting and stress relieving, I’m sure you all have first-hand experience with the feeling of relief that comes after a good rant. People rant as a source of an emotional outlet because something in their life has been bothering them. I personally think there is nothing better than a good rant after a long day.

However, while ranting does feel good at first, it can lead to some questionable outcomes that may not be worth the initial feeling of relief. According to Ryan C. Martin, Ph.D., the lead chair of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Psychology department, he says, “We found that people tend to rant because it makes them feel relaxed right after they do it,” which explains the initial sense of relief and catharsis. However, research shows that ranting actually causes more long-term anger and aggression towards the topic. This is because ranting prolongs the amount of time spent on negative thoughts and the more you focus on negativity, the more irritation it causes in everyday life (womenshealthmag.com).

So, should you rant when you’re mad at someone or something? Even while studies show that ranting can have negative effects in the long run, that won’t stop me from face-timing my best friend at 1 in the morning to talk about things in my life that aren’t going smoothly. In my opinion, ranting isn’t too bad of a thing. If it is done a healthy amount, there should be no drastic negative effects. But just remember not to overdo it or it could lead to unnecessary negativity in life!