Caught in a Vice-like Grip
It seems like it’s “just been one of those days” for a few years. As a response, many young people—who have been living through unprecedented times their entire lives—have found ways to cope. Turning lemons into lemonade, younger generations have unlocked the most prolific and evolved coping mechanism: Memes.
Humor may not be everyone’s go-to technique to tackle the troubles of life, but these most recent generations would prefer to laugh away the pain, and memes are a favorite way to get through a rough patch. The catharsis of laughter can not only diminish the fear and woes of heavy trauma, but it can also help alleviate psychological tension. A study published in the National Library of Medicine by Dr. Adrián Pérez-Aranda says that humour is studied as a way of coping with “pain and emotional distress.” Crazily enough, this same study found that humorous distractions, such as watching a comedy clip or sending a meme, can even increase pain tolerance.
Perhaps the youths are onto something.
Via u/ugly.cash
Coping mechanisms are nothing new in society. It’s human nature to find ways to endure hard times through whatever means necessary. The human brain performs nifty tricks in times of hardship to weather the storm, often seeking habitual behaviors for a sense of stability. “We all have that one habit or behavior we turn to when life feels overwhelming,” according to Kristen Jacobsen, an anxiety and trauma therapist. “For some, it’s reaching for another glass of wine after a long day. For others, it’s zoning out on social media, eating that entire bag of chips, or working well past midnight.”
Via u/meme.ig
Humans are creatures of habit, and are not much different from Pavlov’s dogs. Unlike dogs, however, human beings often condition themselves to have certain responses to things, solidifying our tendencies and behaviors through repetition. When it comes to stress responses, oftentimes, we turn to our habits as a refuge from the unknown, seeking comfort in habitual behavior even when it’s not in our best interest.
“Not all vices start from a destructive habit, but they start from a pattern, a pleasure we repeatedly want,” online mental health resource Hilio says. “[But] the habits mechanic can become a pattern… especially with those who suddenly discovered the apparent solution to unhappiness.” Because there is no clear path to find happiness, humanity has created shortcuts to boost our dopamine levels, historically veering into unsavory habits like overeating desserts, lighting up a smoke, or cracking open a cold 21+ beverage.
Luckily, younger generations have accidentally cracked the code, unlocking the door to wholesome vices like cuddling your cat, eating a mustard-slathered hotdog, enjoying a fair-weather hike, or watching the sunset with a bowl of cubed fruit.
Not to say that younger generations are free of their own detrimental vices, with many slipping into patterns of addiction or substance abuse similar to their parents, but they’re at least making an effort towards breaking the cycle. Nevertheless, through memes, we may have accidentally found a new vice that may not be so bad after all.
To Each Their Own
Vices, even wholesome ones, are all about avoidance.
Nobody has the mental stamina to steep in the stress of adulthood for every waking second, so in some way, we all need a break. However, in the eternal search for a dopamine tickle, habitual behaviors can be a slippery slope that often slides into unhealthy routines. Jacobsen says, “When you feel stressed, lonely, rejected, or not good enough, your brain and body go on high alert. These feelings are distressing, so you look for relief. Your vice offers a quick escape.”
So while positive-leaning habits seem like a perfect solution to our innately-human coping mechanisms, anything in superfluous excess can be detrimental. However, recognizing that a perfect bite of a ranch-soaked buffalo wing can achieve the same emotional relief as a drag from your faithful Penjamin may be the first step towards positive stress-responses. In a continually overwhelming world, it’s far more important to keep our eyes fixed on the smaller pleasures of life, creating a habit around gratitude for seemingly silly, humorous, or serendipitous moments of life.
We don’t need to boost our dopamine levels with a hit of our favorite vice, we just need to forge a new habit. Something that has us enjoying the goofiness and embracing the silliest little vices of everyday life.
