DEBBIE DOWNER

A friend called and said, "I swear I'm going to quit asking people 'how are you?'", and she asked, "WHY must these Debbie Downers tell every excruciating detail of their ailments?" I laughed, recalling Rachel Dratch's character on Saturday Night Live. I said, "I think they don't have anything else to talk about."



I have one acquaintance in particular with whom I cannot recall EVER having a conversation with which did not quickly dissolve into a compilation of her ailments, complaints, and negativity.

Since we belong to the same club, I see her at least once a month and I admit that I try to avoid her, but she seeks out my company. She telephones frequently and I listen patiently. I don't want to hurt her feelings and I try to say something uplifting.

I gather that she recently finally noticed my attempt at changing the subject when she began her usual whinging.

She asked, with a tone of irritation, "How can you be so UP all the time?"

I asked, "Did you ever see the movie All That Jazz?" She said she had not seen it. I told her it was Bob Fosse's roman a clef and that my favorite part was when Roy Scheider playing the character Joe Gideon, would get up in the morning, he would have Vivaldi blasting from the stereo and after completing his usual morning ritual, he would look in the mirror and say, "It's SHOW TIME, folks." I told her that I do the same thing because nobody wants to hear my griping and that's the face I'm going to show the world! She whined, "Well not everybody can be little Suzy Sunshine!"

CLICK HERE to watch the Roy Scheider video.

So much for that "constructive criticism" which everyone pretends they want to hear, but actually don't!

When I read the following article Habits And Feelings Seem To Be Contagious from The Wise Geek, I was not surprised that the study shows that happiness is less contagious than sadness. This is why I want to surround myself with happy people!


MANY HABITS AND FEELINGS SEEM TO BE CONTAGIOUS

Many habits and feelings seem to be contagious, but research shows that happiness is less contagious than sadness.

Emotions and habits might be contagious and spread within groups in a similar manner to diseases, research suggests. A long-term study found that emotions such as happiness and loneliness as well as habits such as smoking and overeating were often found within groups such as families or friends.

For example, having an obese friend increased the likelihood of a person becoming obese by 57%. It is not known for sure why emotions and habits spread, but it might be an evolutionary response in which people mimic one another because of the need to fit into a group in order to survive.