There are times when I’d note that a person’s attitude changed simply by chewing gum! Has anyone else noticed this?
At one time, I thought I was perceiving things incorrectly, but the more I noticed it, the more I became aware that there might be a correlation. In fact, I’ve taken note of how my own attitude has changed just by chewing gum. If I’m irritated about something but that irritation hasn’t surfaced, it certainly does when I’m chewing gum!
There are times when I feel like gum-chewing has given me the boldness to speak what I’m already thinking about a situation, and I wanted to know what caused this. So I did some research. What I learned was not only fascinating, but it also reaffirmed that I wasn’t just “seeing” things.
For the most part, chewing gum can actually have subtle effects on a person’s attitude and behavior, and there are a few psychological and social explanations for this shift. First, chewing gum can make people feel more alert and focused. This boost in energy can also increase confidence, and this confidence may come across as boldness or cockiness, especially if the person already has a confident or assertive personality.
Second, gum-chewing has a bit of a rebellious or casual association in popular culture. Some people subconsciously adopt “cool” behaviors, adjusting their posture, expressions, and even their tone to fit this image while they chew gum. Specifically, when I think about characters from movies or even music videos, I’ve always noted that their gum-chewing had the tendency to make them look “cool” and “edgy”. Blowing bubbles even added to that effect.
Third, gum-chewing can also give people a relaxed, carefree appearance that might also be paired with other body language—like hands in pockets, leaning back, or speaking more informally—that can seem aloof or dismissive, and this might come across as bold or even disrespectful. For instance, I’ve made several observations of how a person might even appear more defiant or resistant in general, specifically to authority figures, simply because of the subconscious attitude shift that gum-chewing seems to bring.
Within a classroom setting, gum-chewing is most often forbidden because its perception can challenge the classroom dynamic, especially if a student acts more “carefree” or displays body language that reads as disrespectful. Smacking sounds, blowing bubbles, or other audible behaviors that often accompany gum-chewing are often associated with disrespectful or cocky behavior. Besides the mess that chewing gum can leave behind (stuck underneath desks, etc.), it also seems to promote negative behaviors.
Even though chewing gum is a way to relieve stress or stay calm, it can actually make a person less patient or attentive to others, as they are focused on self-regulation through chewing. This self-regulation might cause shifts in behavior that seem uncharacteristically bold or inattentive even if the person may not even be aware there’s a shift in their behavior. It’s almost as if chewing gum literally changes a person’s entire persona or makes the attitude the person already has even more noticeable.
It’s interesting how such a small behavior change can lead to a noticeable shift in demeanor!
My Voice Unchained 