HAVE YOUR WRITING HABITS CHANGED IN THE LAST TWELVE DAYS?
- Apr 9
- 2 min read
Feeling confused and unsettled, staring out the window for long periods?
Three weeks ago, the Australian Federal election was called for Saturday, 3rd May. Have you changed your writing habits during this period? Are you writing more or less? Are you writing at different times of the day and night? Perhaps you find yourself staring blankly at your computer screen more often, or off on a daydream mid-sentence? Or are you continuing the same as always?
In a curious phenomenon, many people alter their behaviours, mostly in subtle ways, in the weeks leading up to an election. I was first alerted to this phenomenon some years ago when I worked in a small office complex in an inner-city suburb. A coffee shop/takeaway on the ground level did a fantastic trade on week days with their delicious range of healthy salads, rolls and sandwiches.
During an election campaign, I was in the coffee chop and asked the owner, ‘Having a busy day?’
He replied, ‘No, it’s dead. It happens every time an election is on.’
We continued to chat about how his trade in takeaway lunches was way down. His business had not changed, the only difference was the election campaign. Naturally, he was keen to see the back of the election so his business could return to his ‘normal’ buoyant trade.
If I hadn’t heard his first-hand testimony, I wouldn’t have believed it possible, but the shop and office workers, his loyal customers, had dramatically altered their lunch-buying habits. They were presumably getting up a little earlier and making their own lunches.
An election campaign throws up a mix of psychological reactions, most of which are based on fear: fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of the new, fear of uncertainty, fear of making a wrong decision. Unconsciously, we act with increased caution and step back rather than charging forward with big plans.
Should we do anything about this psychological phenomenon? No, it’s not wrong or bad. It is, however, interesting and informative, and it may explain the subtle behavioural changes we see in ourselves and others.
Roll on the 3rd of May, I say.
Lynne Lloyd
editor and publisher
LLOYD MOSS editing and publishing
Tel/Text: 0421 998 749
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