I love Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, but in the Disney version there is a classic and almost scary moment when Alice asks the Cheshire Cat which way to go. You know that part? The cat says, “That all depends on where you want to get to.” He then tells her that to find the white rabbit she should ask the Mad Hatter. She immediately rejects that by saying she doesn’t want to converse with mad people, and he laughs in a very creepy way and says, “Most everyone is mad here.” Now, in the movie, mad is more foul tempered than what we know Carol meant by mad or rather insane. However, that scene vividly came to mind this morning when I read an article on the benefits of being grumpy.
The article explains that people who are grumpy are more creative because apparently angry people are more capable of having their minds “diverted from one path to another.” So, if you are angry, you will not be distracted by the happy blue birds that fly around your head as you skip the road into oncoming traffic. In 2009, Matthijs Baas from the University of Amsterdam said, “Anger really prepares the body to mobilise resources – it tells you that the situation you’re in is bad and gives you an energetic boost to get you out of it.”
The article continues to posit that if you are angry or mad, you are more altruistic. WHAT? I don’t see that in this world. In fact, more and more of my mad friends are becoming more and more selfish. How did they make that correlation? Well, they played the dictator game, and apparently, “People who are feeling slightly down pay better attention to external social norms and expectations, and so they act in a fairer and just way towards others.” Alrighty.
Another disturbing statement that this article makes is that, “Scientists are increasingly recognising that grumpiness may be beneficial to the full range of social skills – improving language skills, memory and making us more persuasive.” More persuasive? I can read between the lines. Grumpy equals bully. I am not triggered. I am just saying that I have experienced grumpy persuasiveness firsthand. Admittedly, I have even used this tactic. I almost feel like I need a shower afterward. Isn’t it better to just be sober and not a giddy blabbering idiot when needing to be socially aware of those around you? Possibly. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re mad, does it?
Also, did you know that happiness increases oxytocin and therefore is a health risk? Yeah, because oxytocin reduces your ability to identify risks or causes you to make serious errors in judgment. Well, that is probably true. Just last week, I was jamming out to Journey, and I got too close to my garage door and ripped the plastic panel off my rear fender. So maybe they have a point.
The article may in fact have some valid arguments. I agree that when I am not high on happy and I have a neutral attitude, I am more productive. Frankly, this article made me a little cranky and I banged out the blog in ten minutes. In essence, I just made this article’s point. But to me that doesn’t mean I am not happy or optimistic, because my overall attitude is happy and optimistic.
The world is super angry right now. I can barely stand social media platforms for more than two thumb pushes up my screen. I have to walk away, ask the bees to come sing to me, and let my puppies lather me in kisses to cleanse myself of the hate. I seriously can’t dwell in anger.
So, I did some digging, and there are multiple studies dating decades back that all say that happiness increases longevity and improves mortality in many instances. Just Google it and you will find them all. One study went as far as claiming, “Positive psychological well-being was associated with a modest, but consistent reduced risk of incident CHD [coronary heart disease].”
Besides the health benefits of a positive and happy disposition, you are just nicer to be with. I don’t think that grouchy people are fun, and they aren’t my go-to people to call when I want to have a conversation. I prefer a positive outlook on humanity and people, and I firmly believe we need more of that now than ever.
So, I will save the bitchy moments for my bestie who can dish it out just as effectively and tame my roar when it rears its ugly head. But the rest of you will get a positive and much happier Stacey because that is better for me and you. You don’t have my permission to be a jerk. Save your grumpiness for your battle with the boogeyman.
