Speech fasting? No! Silence is not golden

How many words do you speak before noon?

- VINAY MENON

I ask after reading a story in the Guardian this week: “Speech fasting: would staying silent until midday make us happier and healthier?” In other words: do we talk too much?

The story was about Scottish singer Lulu. On performance days, she is mute until high noon: “She exists in a state of extended silence. She isn’t even allowed to whisper.”

Wow. I could have a good life with her.

Singers must nurture their vocal cords. Lozenges. Steam baths. Ginger tea. Humidifiers. Power naps. Deep breathing. As with everything in life, it’s always about what not to do. Taylor Swift does not warm up for an Eras concert by gargling thumbtacks.

Lulu told the Guardian her silence is to “take care of my instrument.”

But for those of us who are not singers, the publication adds, “speech fasting has a multitude of benefits.” Citing studies, these allegedly include a reduction in the stress hormone cortisol, neurological growth and lower blood pressure.

Psychology Today published a story last year — “The Benefits of Not Talking” — that explored the impact on self-identity and social relationships when verbal communication is nixed for a day.

Spoiler alert: you become a better listener and more empathetic.