Thursday 10 June 2010

The Science of Grrrrr!

Gorgeous bloggie friends, being grumpy is good for you. The science of this conclusion is reported in more detail here.

Apparently being grumpy and miserable sharpens the brain, clarifies the mind and allows thought processes to find solutions. Apparently.

So things get done, problems get solved and people move on! Apparently.

Now I’m all for being cheerful and feeling happy from inside all over and I really would much prefer to be in a permanent state of bliss and ecstasy.

But every so often you just want to shake that fist at everyday “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” – for perceived injustice, unfairness and downright ignoramous-ness of others!

My problem is that I always tend to feel bad and guilty after (it’s the lapsed catholic in me!) but now I feel a little vindicated for having growled at people at work for not doing stuff they said they would; for refusing to bunch my legs any further under the train seat so that this selfish man sat opposite me would dump his bags on his feet rather than on mine; for telling a queue jumper at my Costa coffee place that “hey you silly cow there’s a queue you know!”

Charlie says: Now you know why I look at you like so when you point that flashy thing at me!




Have a problem-free Thursday everyone!

27 comments:

Beth Zimmerman said...

Hallelujah! Scientific proof that being grouchy is good for me! I'm all over that one!

Ann Best said...

Yes, I agree, Jennifer. There are times when grumpy is necessary.

Finally, we got our aide back. Tomorrow she'll start coming again. It's been a frustrating week, and I haven't posted for a week. But tomorrow I'll do catch up. Hope to see you then!!

Coming into YOUR blog is so restful.

Karen Jones Gowen said...

It's true. The adrenaline rushes when one feels upset, irritable and grouchy and that gives you energy to tackle the problems.

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

No way! I can't believe you said that out loud...

My daughter's cat has gotten used to playing with the "dot" every night at 10:30...if I don't go up and play she starts crying.

Brian's Home Blog said...

I think I would rather be cheerful, if I'm grumpy my humans think something is wrong and I end up at the vet. Hey, even I have a bad fur day, but I'm cheerful when I'm having one! Smile Charlie!

Theresa Milstein said...

"But every so often you just want to shake that fist at everyday “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” – for perceived injustice, unfairness and downright ignoramous-ness of others!"

We all feel like that. Well, the ones who aren't ignoramouses and rude people!

Angst is an important ingredient as a fuel to write. Going onto a bus or train is the perfect way to find angst. Look at all the material you're collecting!

Susan Fields said...

I prefer to be blissful, too, but you're right, sometimes I feel a need to shake my fist. :)

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I agree that it can be cathartic to vent and be grumpy sometimes. Holding it all in raises stress hormones. But I am like you and feel guilty afterward. The older I get the less guilt I feel, however. Getting older is liberating! :-)

Amy & the house of cats said...

Ok, I have to say I don't agree with the study- but maybe it only works if you are happy a lot and then grumpy once in a while. For me it is grumpy most of the time and happy once in a while. I don't feel any clearer or sharper - I usually feel more stressed and overwhelmed.

And Charlie, you are not alone in making that face when the flashy box appears!!

Katnip Lounge said...

Curmudgeonliness is next to godliness. And fun.

Ann said...

Sounds perfectly feasible to me. Let him drop his bag on his own feet. I hate queue jumpers! With their my times too valuable to queue like the rest of you plebs sttitude! Grrr is right.

Jacqueline said...

Isn't it somewhat odd that they have scientific data on such a thing?!...I'm generally a positive, cheerful person and not grumpy very often, but when I am, I always feel guilty about it!...Charlie is too handsome to avoid the camera=tell him we said so!!...kisses to gorgeous Charlie!...xo...Calle, Halle, Sukki

lupie said...

I am grumpy all the time!!!!

Sigh ... yet, still as blunt as all the "blunt pencils in the world combined" ... huh? What am I on about?

Today, I feel like a moldy bread .. or maybe, hey .. like the sloth you mentioned! :)

Well, thank god / bast I have your wonderful blog to visit and destress! Charlie, he is just AMAZING!!

We love Jenn & Charlie (Grrr... human comes first today! Grrr...)

Brigid O'Connor said...

Love that post, grumpy and grouchy is good for me, excellent.

Kea said...

I had read that, actually, but I don't really agree, either. Well, at least not for me. Because if I'm grumpy, complaining (even just to myself) about something, I'm focused on that topic, that "thing," and am not focused on problem-solving or in any way being creative. It drains my energy and makes unproductive.

I do have a co-worker, though, who admits to loving being all fired up and angry about something, all the time. It does give her energy and she gets more done. But it just wears me down! :-)

Smooches to Charlie, grumpy or not!

Hannah and Lucy said...

Good for you telling that queue jumper - I usually use my elbows to good effect!! My biggest grouse is groups of people walking down the street so slowly and giving you no room to pass and if you do squeeze by looking at you as though you have just crawled out form under a stone.
Charlie you are looking exceeding handsome today.

SASS....Sammy Andy Shelly Sierra said...

Yup, at times grumpy is very necessary...for beans and for kitties!!!!!!! Hey, there, Charlie!!!!!

Marg said...

Oh good, I sure am glad to know it is all right for me to be grumpy. The animals are not happy about knowing that. But I don't stay grumpy long. I feel terrible when I see the looks on these guys little faces. But good to know it is good for our health.
Great picture Charlie.
Have a great day.

Talli Roland said...

If that's the case I should be getting loads done today!

Aren't those arrogant men on the train the worst? I actually had one once tell me to scrunch down a bit so he could read his paper better. Whatever!

Bossy Betty said...

OK, OK, I guess grumpy is OK once in awhile, but I am with you in that I always feel bad once I have been grumpy with someone.

Charlie is never grumpy--is he?

Anonymous said...

Wish we'd been able to tell my grandmother being grumpy was good for her. It would have cheered her up no end.

But then she'd have stopped being grumpy, and so she'd get fed up..... :)

Musings of a Mother said...

Hehehe - I can't imagine you ever being grouchy. I especially like your comment in Costa! I'm glad there is evidence that it's good for you because I can be a bit of a grumpy bear myself x

AngelStar said...

Thank you for your purr-fect thought about happiness on my post. you are a sweet old kitty.

Musings of a Mother said...

Hehehe - I can't imagine you ever being grouchy. I especially like your comment in Costa! I'm glad there is evidence that it's good for you because I can be a bit of a grumpy bear myself x

notesfromnadir said...

There is a certain logic to this.

However, that picture of Charlie makes him look regal, not grumpy! Say HI to Charlie for me! :)

laughingwolf said...

i'm with charlie, oscar the grouch was a fave of mine on sesame street! ;) lol

gotta blast the yahoos for their entitlement postures GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

ANGEL ABBYGRACE said...

Oh Mom hates being grumpy -- but still she is sometimes. Although never with me!
And me, well Charlie I hate to admit that I am a grumpipuss sometimes...that's what being a diva is all about, no?

purrs
Abby