The Hmmm Theory

Two very good friends of mine, keep filling the chat window with "Hmmm". It lead me to think, am I so boring or is it a guy thing or may be both. If one person does it then it must be a person thing. It then struck me, most men say hmmm, most of the time! Unfortunately this was a pandemic thing. 

This was like my "Eureka!" moment. I have made an observation but really still didn't understand the underlying reason behind it. All I could do was guess, but it was not good enough. So I decided to ask the source of the Hmmm theory: my friends. They were all happy to help. At the end of very though provoking conversations here are the results:

• When in doubt say Hmmm: There are moments in your life when you just cant say a yes or no. Life is not always in black and white. There are shades of grey. Hmmm is the pioneer in grey shaded answers. I have a personal feeling that it originated when humans were cave men! Just think about it, this just might be one among our first few words. So when in deep sea say Hmmm.

• When a No would kill you: The evolutionary theory says that human beings react to a threat by "Flight, Fight, Fright." It is generally a combination of the three. Hmmm is apparently an evolved way of flight due to fright. Honesty is loved and appreciated as long as it is all in good humour. Try telling your friend, "Dude, your presentation sucked!" or worse yet, "OMG! You wear too much make up." Before I continue, there is something I must confess. I have done no analysis as such, and what I am about to write is just my opinion. Here it goes, "Men take criticism better than women." It is just a stereotype. It does have some logic behind it. Men are programmed by the society to be bold and to try new things. Thus they learn from mistakes and are receptive to constructive criticism. However women are expected to be perfect, always. Mistakes are generally not tolerated. Thus they are not open as men would be. But times will change and so will these stereotypes. How is this linked to men and their Hmmm. Well, they would want to break their lady's heart, would they? (In certain cases their nose, if the lady is strong. ;))

• To sound smart: There are moments in your life when you really have to say something but can't take the risk of being wrong. That's when "Hmmm" saves your day. Fill it when you face a tough situation. Makes you sound smart as well as covers up the fact that you have nothing meaningful to say. It is basically a God sent monosyllable.

Hence forth you hear a "Hmmm" dig deep and try to understand what it means. Who said that men are simple and women are complex. It is the other way round. There may be more interpretations and applications to the Hmmm. My dear readers are welcome to share their observations as well.