We Sigh All Day Every Day, Yet it’s Still a Mystery

Researchers know some physical reasons to explain sighing but are lost about its relationship to our emotions

Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

So, apparently, I sigh a lot. Over the years, I’m frequently asked by friends, roommates, coworkers, and acquaintances whether I’m okay. They often interpret my sighs as annoyance or frustration, but I always respond, “I’m good, just breathing.” Most of the time, I’m completely oblivious to my sighs until someone asks if I’m okay.

Since it’s been brought to my attention, though, I’ve found that more often than not, I sigh when I’m trying to understand something or am deep in thought, which is often. Of course, I also sigh when relaxed, full after a meal, bored, or sleepy. But it’s not like I’m the only one. Everyone sighs, and we do it for all sorts of reasons. Yet, amazingly, researchers understand shockingly little about why we sigh at all.

Sighing

Did you know that, on average, we sigh about twelve times in an hour, or about once every five minutes? That’s a lot! I know I sigh often, but that’s more than even I expected and suggests that sighing is more important than we realize.

How can such a small act be so important, and in what way is it important? In this sense…