1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, 2 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:10,479 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Bogle bam here. Let's say someone 3 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:12,800 Speaker 1: cuts you off on the highway, so you flip him 4 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: the bird. You're mad and now he's mad. You both 5 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:20,439 Speaker 1: get to where you're going and snap. But you're unsuspecting friends, family, 6 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: or colleagues, who in turn flings some vitriol at others, 7 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 1: and so the cycle continues. Rudeness is unpleasant, but it's 8 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: also highly contagious and can affect your physical and mental health. 9 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:38,880 Speaker 1: That's according to Danny Wallace, author of f You Very Much, 10 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: Understanding the Culture of Rudeness and What we can Do 11 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: about it. Before the article this episode is based on 12 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: HOS to Work, spoke with Wallace. He said, when someone 13 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 1: has been truly rude to you and broken the rules 14 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: of civilty, it's very confusing, which is one reason why 15 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: people can't think of anything witty to say in the 16 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: moment as a retort and big as you've been disrespected, 17 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: you're trying to claw back some of that respect somehow. 18 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: This is why Wallace said, you keep replaying incidents of 19 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: rudeness over and over in your head, particularly when you 20 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:17,040 Speaker 1: didn't make the perfect comeback at the time, and rudeness 21 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,039 Speaker 1: is contagious, he notes in an article published in the 22 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:24,759 Speaker 1: January issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology, researchers cited 23 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:27,839 Speaker 1: three separate studies that showed that if someone was rude 24 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: to you, you were more likely to behave uncivilly towards 25 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:34,120 Speaker 1: someone else. So if you were cut off driving to 26 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: work later, you might open an email from a colleague 27 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: that asks will you be at today's meeting and feel 28 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: they're implying that you're going to skip it without a 29 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: good reason. Even if you merely witnessed a rude interaction 30 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 1: between two strangers, you became more likely to be nasty 31 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: to someone else. Rudeness affects your brains frontal lobes, the 32 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: area responsible for working memory, and those feelings can make 33 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,920 Speaker 1: your work stuff. Her research shows that your creativity and 34 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: job performance knows dive when someone is nasty to you. 35 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: That's because rudeness is emotionally draining. One of the most 36 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: chilling aspects of uncivil behavior is that it can affect 37 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: health and safety. Wallace says that a study on surgeons 38 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:22,640 Speaker 1: in Israel showed that rudeness made them fifty less effective. 39 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: They didn't communicate well, picked up the wrong instruments, and 40 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: missed changes that affected their initial diagnosis. Despite this alarming intel, 41 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: there is hope the workplace rudeness can be addressed through 42 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 1: plans of actions set up by management. In fact, some 43 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:42,679 Speaker 1: scientists are working on a rudeness fact scene for doctors, 44 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:44,959 Speaker 1: a video game that they could play when they come 45 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,639 Speaker 1: to work to take a breath and reset their minds. 46 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 1: The simple awareness of incivilities contagion can help you monitor 47 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: your own behavior so that you don't pass it on. 48 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: Today's episode is based on the article why Rudeness is 49 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: so Compagious on How stuff Works dot com, written by 50 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:09,639 Speaker 1: Melanie Redzii McManus. For more from Danny Wallace about rudeness, 51 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: check out the podcast Part Time Genius. They interviewed Wallace 52 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: for an episode titled Are We in the Middle of 53 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 1: a Rudeness Epidemic? Rain Stuff is production of by Heart 54 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: Radio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot Com, and it's 55 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:24,640 Speaker 1: produced by Tyler Clain. Four more podcasts from my Heart Radio, 56 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 57 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:28,960 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.