armedwithbats, golfclubsor just their
ownhands,pummeleverything from fax
machines tobig-screenTVs torefrigera-
tors, aswellasassortedotherbitsof junk.
Clientsrange fromhigh-levelexecutives
tosmall-businessowners’managers to
soccermoms, allhappy topayanything
from$25 (forfiveminutes) to$75 (25
minutes) tovent their frustrations.
Thepricegoesup forclientswhowant
acustomizedsetup.OneAngerRoom
client, astockbroker, orderedaroom
setup toresemblehisofficesohecould
screamatan imaginaryclientonaphone
thatwasconnected tonothing, then
bash thephone tobits.Awomanwho’d
recentlybrokenupwithhersommelier
boyfriendwanted to takeagolf club to
somewineglasses.Corporationshave
broughtgroups in for team-building
(or, rather, team-destroying)exercises,
inwhichworkers level their fabricated
workplaces.
“We’vehadsomebigguyscome inhere
andgetpretty tiredoutbefore the time
wasup,”Alexandersays. “They’rebreak-
inga lotofstuff,usinga lotofmuscles. It’s
rare forsomeone to lasta full25minutes.”
Theconcepthasnowgoneglobal.
Copycatcompanies, inspiredby themedia
attentiongarneredbyAngerRoom,have
setup theirown lairsofworkplaceruin.
InBuenosAires,Argentina, theycall it
BreakClub. InToronto, it’sRageRoom. In
BUSINESS
100
DECEMBER2015
AMERICANWAY
JOSEPHGUINTO
isaveryquiet freelance
writerwhoseonlysignofanger iswhenhis
forehead turnsbrightpurple.Hewritesoften
aboutbusiness for
AmericanWay
.
Belgrade,Serbia, it’s
SobaBesa,whichalso
translates toAnger
Room (though there’s
noaffiliationbetween
theSerbiansand the
Dallasbusiness).
Alexander, forher
part,plans tobranch
outdomestically in2016, takingAnger
Room toChicagoandNewYork.
TimCheung, theco-founderof
Toronto’sRageRoom, says thatmostof
hisclientscomenot toragebut just“for
the funof it.Youget todo things thatare
counter towhatwe’re taughtgrowingup,”
hesays. “That is: tonotbreakstuffand to
notshownegativeemotionswhenyou’re
out inpublic.”
Whilepulverizingstuff isundoubt-
edly fun,Alexander insists there isalso
something therapeutic to theexperience.
“Wedogetpeoplewhocome inangry,”
shesays. “Wegetpeoplewhoarehaving
relationship issues,or family issues,or
issues in theworkplace.Then theygo in
andbreakstuffandcomeoutextremely
exhaustedphysically.But they’realways
smiling. I’veneverhada frowncomeout
ofhere.”
MADMEN
(ANDWOMEN)
ThreeStrategies for
DealingwithAnger
Don’tChannelYour InnerHulk
“Therapeutically speaking, when it
comes todealingwith frustration,
which frequently leads to anger, what
we try todo in therapy is encourage
thepatient tofirst acknowledge,
experience and then channel or
redirect his or her rage into some kind
of constructive activity.”—Clinical
andForensicPsychologist StephenA.
Diamond, author of
Anger,Madness,
and theDaimonic
Don’tWallow inYourGrudges
“Obsessingand ruminatingabout
injusticeor resentment about some-
thing you cannot change is unhealthy.”
—SuzanneDegges-White, author of
ToxicFriendships: Knowing theRules
andDealingwith theFriendsWhoBreak
Them
Don’t Ignore theRootCauses
“Everyone is inahurry tomake the
anger goaway. Fewhave the courage
to look for the sourceand remedy.”—
ConstanceDierickx, a clinical psychol-
ogist and founder ofCDConsulting
Group.
ABOVE:Aroom is
waitingfor—and
thendestroyedby
—arage-filled
customer.Theroom
isrefurnishedfor
everynewclientwho
comes inwantingto
takeouttheir
frustrations.
PHOTOS
PETER ENDIG/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
“YOUGETTODOTHINGSTHATARECOUNTER
TOWHATWE’RETAUGHTGROWINGUP.”
