you should vent your emotions

[alpacinou]

Hello.

Can I use "vent" like this? Is this correct and natural?

You should never bottle up your emotions. Always vent your feelings and let them out.

 

[Tarheel]

It's natural enough.

 

[alpacinou]

It's natural enough.

Is vent only used for negative emotions like anger?

 

[Tarheel]

I think so. We don't usually bottle up emotions we consider positive.

 

[alpacinou]

I think so. We don't usually bottle up emotions we consider positive.

Yes. But sometimes a person loves another person and they suppress their feelings.
Sometimes, people are afraid of being judged by others and they bottle up their excitement or other such feelings.

 

[Tarheel]

I might say:

Sometimes people hide their feelings.

You are right. Sometimes you feel a certain way, and for whatever reason you don't want other people to know that you harbor that feeling.

Maybe you have strong feelings for someone, but you don't want that person to know how you feel about them. So you hide your feelings from them.

 

[emsr2d2]

If you're talking about love, "vent" wouldn't really work. Also, I find "vent your feelings and let them out" rather tautologous.