When Email Attacks (or, What the F*#%!!!)

Have you ever been stunned by an e-mail you received from a co-worker? Or, worse, responded in kind by hitting Send with a pointed response? Patterns of email "flaming" are now attracting scrutiny by psychologists and those in the field of social neuroscience.

There’s even a fancy sociological term for the behavior: online disinhibition effect. A New York Times article points to some of the underlying causes for rude online conduct, including the absence of the social cues (like furrowed brows and folded arms) you normally receive in face-to-face conversations. 

Okay, so you don't really need to know the details about what’s going on in your orbitofrontal cortex when you send a high-pressure email. But you keep in mind the fact that the social guidance systems we use to communicate face-to-face are absent when sending an e-mail. 

So, even though your Send finger may be twitching, imagine saying the words you've typed to that person out loud. Doesn’t feel right? Then treat your e-mail as a way to let off steam --- and hit the Delete button instead.