Road rage and computer rage may be the same

Research has shown that a key factor in road rage incidents is frustration caused by having one's goals blocked. Now a new study shows that experiences of computer rage may be related to similar factors.

The results of the study by Dr John Charlton from the University of Bolton and Professor Arvid Kappas from the International University Bremen, Germany will be presented at the British Psychological Society's Annual Conference at the University of Manchester on Thursday 31 March 2005.

The researchers questioned 60 volunteers about their experiences of road rage and computer rage. Their questionnaire asked participants about how they felt when experiencing anger in these situations, what factors triggered anger, and how often they experienced such rages.

They found that both types of experiences were very common and similar in terms of intensity and duration. A common factor related to intensity of anger in both situations was having one's goals blocked.

However, the psychological climate in which an incident occurs is more important in computer rage than in road rage. When computing, anger arose with less surprise, when people felt under greater pressure and when a task was important. A perceived lack of ability to communicate one's annoyance to the computer was a further source of anger.

Dr Charlton suggests that software developers try to design software that provides appropriate feedback when problems occur, this may diffuse the anger and result in less stress, particularly for people with anger prone personalities.

Ref: PR735