Breaking Down the Profane Art of the Michigan “Rage Shivers”
You know how during a Michigan winter we often step outside only to be smacked in the face with a bone-chilling gust of wind? It immediately makes you mad.
Then, there's the moment you get into your cold car and you are shivering so hard you can only muster a scream.
We've realized there's never really been an established term for that kind of thing...so we've decided to coin this phenomenon, the "rage shivers."
What You Call That Moment You're So Cold You're Angry? Hello, "Rage Shivers"
As stated above, it's a condition common to Michiganders or anyone, really, who lives in a state that gets as frigid and snowy as the Mitten.
You go out, you immediately feel your nostrils begin to freeze. Every slight breeze or major gust feels like a thousand tiny shards of glass piercing your face, making your eyes water.
People often try to come up with cute little phrases like "why do I live where the air hurts my face?" but for some, that "cute" phrase comes out more like "F***K MAN, WHY IS IT SO F***KING COLD."
Suddenly, you're angry as you get into your car and the shivers just won't stop until finally, you're so shaken up and you explode into either a growl, a scream, a litany of curse words or a mix of it all.
Why Do We Scream Like When We Are Cold?
To understand why we scream when we are cold, we first need to understand why we scream in general.
Thankfully, we have some answers as published in TIME'S "Scientists Know Why People Scream."
"Screaming serves not only to convey danger," TIME reports. "But also to induce fear in the listener and heighten awareness for both screamer and listener to respond to their environment."
The "responding to their environment" is a key point here. Maybe, when we are cold to the point of shivering, our body is letting us know there is a heightened level of danger and we need to respond accordingly.
Relatedly, we've all screamed and (DEFINITELY) cursed in response to pain and turns out, there are plenty of scientific studies (like this one reported by Forbes) that prove it actually helps!
Based on all this information, we can put it all together to make an educated assumption that we become seemingly overcome with rage when we are cold because it not only hurts, but also our bodies think we're in danger because of it.
Yes, It's Michigan...But We're Still F****ing Human
Sure, as Michiganders, we are toughened to a certain level of cold that people in other states could not even fathom. We wear it with pride as we strut around in our shorts and T-shirts once the weather gets above 40 degrees.
However, we are still human beings who have adapted to not be able to withstand sub-zero temperatures as well as our ancestors.
We are still human beings who can tolerate the cold a bit better than most...but can still be mad about it!
The rage shivers are our favorite coping mechanism here in Michigan and nobody can tell us we're wrong.
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