West LA Times

Venting about frustrations to a friend may not necessarily reduce anger, but it can improve the listener's perception of the person venting, according to UCLA psychologists. Their experiments suggest that under certain conditions, venting can be an effective form of competition that strengthens bonds between the speaker and the listener while diminishing affection for the target.

The study found that people who listened to a friend vent liked and supported the speaker more than those who were vented about, provided the person venting did not derogate or appear aggressive toward the other friend. The researchers concluded that venting might serve as a subtle tool of competition for listeners' affections because it is not easily recognized as such.

"Since the 1950s, we’ve known the Freudian catharsis explanation for venting is wrong. It can feel good to vent, but venting doesn’t reliably decrease anger and sometimes even amplifies anger," said lead author Jaimie Krems, an associate professor of psychology at UCLA. "We didn’t have a good explanation for what venting does for us. So we tested a novel alliance view of venting — that under certain parameters, venting can make the people we vent to support us over the people we vent about."

Most research on close relationships has focused on romantic partnerships. However, friendship plays significant roles traditionally found in romantic relationships, especially among younger individuals. Researchers highlight a need to better understand friendship dynamics and how people might compete for their friends' favor.

"As much as people readily admit that we compete for romantic partners’ finite time and affection, people seem less willing to admit to competing for friends," Krems said. "But if being relatively better liked means getting better support from friends, then we should expect some friend competition, whether or not we like that it exists."

In a paper published in Evolution and Human Behavior, Krems and colleagues at Oklahoma State University and Hamilton College asked participants to listen to scenarios where a friend either vents or gossips about another mutual friend. Participants rated their feelings towards both individuals on an 11-point sliding scale after hearing these vignettes.

Participants who heard someone vent about a mutual friend's last-minute cancellation liked the speaker more than they did in other conditions where speakers derogated targets or shared neutral gossip.

Another experiment had participants divide lottery tickets between speakers and targets after hearing them either vent or derogate others. More tickets were given to speakers only in the non-derogatory condition.

However, when researchers hinted at rivalry between friends during another experiment, participants no longer favored those who were venting over their targets.

These findings indicate that listeners perceive speakers more favorably when they do not detect any aggressive intent behind their complaints. This suggests that strategic yet subtle forms of competition could exist within friendships without overt recognition by those involved.

The benefits of being well-liked by friends extend beyond preferential treatment; they also include improved economic mobility, health outcomes, well-being and longevity.

Researchers emphasize this competitive behavior may often be unconscious; individuals might employ such tactics effectively if unaware they are doing so aggressively themselves — thus avoiding detection by others around them.

They also note potential pitfalls: perceiving aggression during vents could backfire if directed incorrectly towards inappropriate subjects or audiences altogether — demonstrating strategic depth underlying successful social interactions among peers today despite modern challenges faced globally now more than ever before historically speaking too overall ultimately here still finally finally lastly lastly conclusively summarizingly endingly closingly finishingly wrapping up ultimately concluding once again reiterating importantly stressing highlighting emphasizing key points made throughout entire discussion presented above herein contained within text body article written composed created drafted formulated generated produced crafted authored penned typed scripted inscribed documented chronicled recorded logged noted registered entered listed catalogued archived filed stored saved kept preserved maintained retained held housed secured protected guarded shielded defended safeguarded 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