There are studies out there that relates catharsis to violence. Penn & Teller's show did cover some of it, and it is mostly right on. But what the studies showed was that being violent towards something else to express your anger - whether it be screaming into a pillow, beating a pillow with a bat, or breaking things - is only going to increase anger later on.

What I see here is that people who are frustrated and angry are distracting themselves through the game - whether it be Half-Life 2, The Sims, Postal II, or the latest Tiger Woods golf game - that is, they do something they like to distract themselves and let the anger settle down and go away in a non-destructive manner.

I do this frequently. If I've had a really rough day, I'll distract myself with Mario Kart or HL2, and soon enough I am no longer interested in being angry, and the feelings have gone away in place of the happy feelings I get when I cause havok on the virtual track.

The problem lies in that when you vent in a destructive manner, you focus on that rage and anger. It goes away after a while, but it keeps bubbling up. Little things will spark it again, and it becomes a cycle.

See, college psychology can be fun!

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"4th Law of Modern Thermodynamics: Where Mihoshi is, Chaos Reigns." ~W. Hakubi
"Gun control is hitting your target; Recycling is reloading your brass." ~ Lex of Dirty Work.