This blog entry is based on a short clip from a Japanese cartoon. The customs or beliefs of foreign cultures are frequently depicted in foreign media. Many times these beliefs are unquestioningly accepted as part of the presentation without thought.
Understanding those foreign beliefs can sometimes reveal things that are unknown to a person’s native culture.
In the video clip linked at the bottom of the post, an excitable boy is upset about something. He is yelling at another boy. A third boy says “Stop yelling like that or you will get hungry”. The upset boy yells again and his stomach immediately rumbles. The yellow lines in the picture below are the cartoon representation for a rumbling belly.
Why would a person get hungry because they are screaming?
Yelling requires energy. More energy than a person is normally emitting. The energy to yell is coming from the boy’s stomach. If the stomach loses energy because it is giving it to the yelling, the stomach becomes drained and needs to be replenished. The stomach is replenished with energy by eating food. The person gets hungry.
The idea seems trivial. It is actually quite powerful if you consider the ramifications. Did you notice the posture of the screaming boy? Can you see the flow of energy from his stomach to his mouth for yelling? Why is the boy standing like that while he is yelling? Does his posture have anything to do with the flow of energy in his body?
Here is the short video clip.