Whistling in the forest

The whistling in the forest is a metaphorical expression that describes a certain human behavior pattern in threatening situations.

Explanatory approaches

Instead of facing the threat or danger to get around, the person tried by whistling a tune courage to make - as a timid child whistling crosses a dark, menacing forest. From a behavioral point of view, the whistle serves as a noise marker, as is customary in the demarcation of territories , and is intended to keep predators that could be dangerous to humans at a distance. By signaling the territorial claim, one distracts from one's own fear of inferiority.

Another explanation for this behavior is that music inhibits the activity of the amygdala . This plays a role in the development of fear .

literature

• Walter Schmidt : Why young people make noise in the dark. In: Ders .: Why men don't want to pee next to each other and other puzzles in spatial psychology. 1st edition. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-499-62996-9 , pp. 125–127 ( excerpt from the e-book edition on Google Books ).