Grown adults screaming when excited... just WHY?

[peakyblenders]

Inspired by last night's Big Brother - granted, people who go on Big Brother aren't exactly representative of the average person, but I'm noticing this in real life too and it bugs me no end.

I lost count of the number of times in last night's episode housemates randomly went 'AAAAAH!' for no reason whatsoever other than (presumably) being excited. Granted I'm an introvert, but I just can't understand why an adult would express excitement by screaming. Exclaiming loudly, yes, that's pretty standard. But that wordless 'AAAAAH!'? It truly baffles me.

This has been in the back of my mind lately because I feel I'm noticing it more in day-to-day life. I'm not talking young things in nightclubs, I'm seeing it in how people interact generally when excited. Example: I passed a woman on the street a few weeks ago who seemed to have spotted someone she knew and, as far as I could gather, hadn't seen in a while. She was clearly excited to see the other person, but instead of using actual words to express that she stood on the spot, assumed a position like she was laying an egg, and literally just went ‘AAAAAAAAAH!’ Then a very shrieky, huggy greeting as you'd maybe expect in the circumstances, but that initial ‘AAAAAAAAAH!’ totally bemused me. As does adults screaming in excitement generally. It just wouldn't occur to me to scream because I was excited.

AIBU to not get why grown adults do this?

I don’t watch big brother but I think with love island for example, they reshoot scenes where they receive a text to be “exciting”. Might be something like that going on.

That’s great for your friend but were you doing that in the middle of the street or supermarket? If so then people would have felt irritated but if they then knew why you were screaming in the street/supermarket I’m sure they’d have smiled and said congrats (unless they really are miserable gits whatever the context).

I know it was a happy occasion and all, but to be honest I'm not sure I would want to encourage a newly pregnant woman to jump up and down, especially if they'd had trouble conceiving

do you genuinely think women miscarry because they’ve jumped and the baby fell out? Please tell me no.

@1month because we live in a society, there is public - where people other than you are - and private, where just you are. And there are behaviours that are appropriate in each space.

Making a loud noise - screaming - in public, immediately causes other humans in ear shot to stop what they are doing and look at the screamer to asses if they need to act. It's in our genes to check if another humans noise means danger.

So when you scream, I get a shot of adrenaline, a rise in blood pressure, and a surge of irritation.

So it does affect me. Like arseholes with loud cars, or someone dropping a glass, or a parent shouting at their child, I cannot turn my ears off or control my adrenal glands.

So yes it does affect me.

Obviously not. You can tell because that's not what I wrote. Try reading the actual words on the screen, not the ones you've made up.

You can comment on it, yes. But equally you need to accept that other people will interpret that as you being a sneering whinger.

I can live with that, particularly given that I seem not to be the only 'sneering whinger' out there, judging by some of these responses.

Horrible, I agree.

Has it come over from the States? I remember many years ago when I worked in a NT house taking a big group of American university students on a tour. I was shocked by their constant whooping and yelling - which seemed to be just the normal way they reacted to pretty much everything. They seemed absolutely incapable of being quiet! And I'm not talking about children here.

That was years ago but I think it's a sort of behaviour that's become more normal in the UK. Just loud and attention-seeking and way OTT. Short attention spans etc.

I know lots of lovely Americans btw! But I think the whole cheering, yelling. whooping is something which came from Over There.

🙋‍♀️ I’m a whinger

Whinger here.

This is an American thing and it is mortifying.

We're all sneering whingers. Pretty much everyone.

A couple of things make me scream. Mostly in despair when people confirm that they ever thought the Sistine crap was real or that snapped and bloody farted was funny.

Sneering whinger checking in, sorry I'm late.

Likewise

😁 👏

Its so fake and stupid. This is the reason I stopped watching reality programmes many moons ago.

I must have extra sensitive ears because I can't stand unnessessary screaming at all. Obvioulsy if someone got run over and was screaming thats different but this awful high pitched scream/squeal that goes on for so long just makes me want to smack the cunts in the face with a brick.

Even more so if its accompanied by the jumping up and down and flappy hands. Grow the fuck up and act like an adult ffs.

I totally agree OP. I’ve noticed when watching Baragain Hunt for example that if a lot makes a profit some contestants, and predominately women, scream as if they’ve just won millions on the lottery. I just don’t get it and quite honestly feel embarrassed. Occasionally I have noticed Charlie Ross telling them to hush, so he doesn’t get it either.

I think it’s the fakery that gets on my nerves. If it’s in public then it’s performative and ‘look at me’ attention seeking no matter what people say to defend it. It’s lacking in boundaries or respect for the people around you.

Maybe some people think it makes them look interesting or fun or popular but most people are just thinking ‘twats’.

As a whinger, I think people scream because they want to feel "bigger" than they are and "bigger" that the others: louder, happier, taking more space, more attractive, more important. They might not know how to get to feel better otherwise.