Fun & Famous
WHY YOU CAN GET SO EXTREMELY IRRITATED WHILE FLYING
(there is a scientific reason)
Generally, I see myself as a fairly peaceful person. I am rarely aggressive, have never hit anyone or intentionally hurt anyone, and I might complain a lot, but basically, I am quite a cheerful person. Until I have to get on a plane.
Flying itself I find delightful and a huge celebration, but the process from check-in to takeoff is a kind of minefield of possible outbursts of anger. It starts already at check-in when it turns out that your suitcase is half a kilo too heavy. “Rules are rules!” Seriously, f**k those rules.
The process from check-in to takeoff is a kind of minefield of possible outbursts of anger.
Or when you travel with hand luggage and they start complaining that you have both a trolley and a small handbag. “That’s not allowed, ma'am, one item per person.” I always travel with Proenza and it’s so small, it’s more of an accessory than a bag. But the gentlemen and ladies are always unyielding. “Rules are rules!”
At the moment of writing this, I am on a plane taking me from Amsterdam to Venice. The person I am traveling with has the tiniest carry-on suitcase you have ever seen, but at the gate, the lady still wanted to check if it met the dimensions. That suitcase fit easily in the compartment, even had extra space, but still, Ms. Transavia concluded: ‘Yes, sir, that has to go in the hold.“ Without exaggerating, the handle stuck out one centimeter. ”Yes, and that is one centimeter too much. Rules are rules!“ Seriously, I had to count to 10 to avoid ending up in a tirade about HOW DO YOU MEAN TOO BIG THIS IS CLEARLY A FINE SIZE ARE YOU BLIND OR SOMETHING.
HOW DO YOU MEAN TOO BIG THIS IS CLEARLY A FINE SIZE ARE YOU BLIND OR SOMETHING.
Now I am not the only one who can be quite worked up while flying. In fact, it is a well-known phenomenon that everyone can become extremely irritated and even furious while flying, which is referred to as “air rage” among cabin crew. How come? According to experts, it is caused by people becoming extremely aware of how little control they have over life on earth during a flight. Or in the air, but in any case, how little control they have over life in general. Think about that for a moment, yes.
Dr. Martin Seif, a psychologist specializing in ‘flight anxiety’, explains that anger especially comes into play in situations where you feel you have no control over something. Not that we ever truly have complete control over life, but during flying and everything that comes with it, that suddenly becomes very clear. No bringing water, a suitcase that is half a kilo too heavy, not being allowed to read on your iPad but allowed to read a book – all rules imposed on you without you having any say in it.
And that, that generates intense anger and irritation. The flight attendant has already told me three times that I need to fold my table up because we are about to land in Venice. So I show my best side and obediently do that. Because: rules are rules!
