Anger is eliminated with the disposal of a paper written because of provocation

Study credibility and replication

• Many see the result as interesting but emphasize it’s unreplicated and should be treated as tentative.
• Several note the journal (“Scientific Reports”) is considered lower-impact; some take papers there with “a grain of salt.”
• Others warn about social-psychology-style results that are elegant and media-friendly but often fail to replicate.
• Commenters call out the need to distinguish “first result” from science that has been robustly replicated.

What might be working: writing vs. disposal vs. “letting go”

• Multiple people highlight the difference between:
  • Writing to organize thoughts and externalize emotion.
  • Physically discarding or destroying the writing as a symbolic act of letting go.
• Some say they already do similar things: unsent letters, shredded/burned notes, or “drafts” they never send/post.
• Others stress that the “letting go” component is under-discussed compared to the writing part.

Anger, suppression, and healthy expression

• One camp argues that focusing on “suppressing” anger is harmful; suppression and shaming of anger can lead to explosive outbursts (e.g., road rage).
• Another camp counters that uncontrolled anger leads to unnecessary conflict, so techniques that damp it are valuable.
• Several try to differentiate:
  • Suppression vs. processing/expressing anger in small, timely, verbal conflicts.
  • Anger as a signal of boundary violations vs. chronic, misdirected rage from broader helplessness.

Forgiveness, trauma, and therapy

• Extended discussion on “forgiveness”:
  • One view: forgiveness = letting go of resentment, for the offended person’s benefit.
  • Another view: forgiveness requires understanding cause, correcting harm, and mitigating future risk; otherwise it can be dangerous or enabling.
• Some describe therapy and CBT-like practices (writing distorted thoughts, breathing, grounding) as “self-brainwashing” but still useful if they reduce suffering.

Methodological and effect-size critiques

• Commenters question sample size (~57), lack/weakness of control conditions, potential placebo effects, and generalizability beyond Japanese students.
• Several note that the reported change in anger scores is modest; “anger eliminated” is seen as overstated.

Broader takeaways and anecdotes

• Many share personal practices: journals never reread, burning letters, imaginary “throwing away,” private rant documents, and unsent online comments.
• Some see parallels with expressive writing research, historical curse/“execration” texts, and cultural rituals of symbolic disposal.