Many people are constantly being yelled at for their constant humming, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that people who hum don’t even realize when they are humming. There are many reasons for humming, but the interesting part is that the reasons for humming correlates perfectly with the reasons for why cats purr, so this makes me ask if human humming is the equivalent to a cat’s purring. I already know some facts about cats and their purring because I am a cat lover myself. Not only that, I am constantly being asked to stop humming, so I have a few hypotheses about why and how humans hum and cats purr. Cats purr as a form of self healing; the vibrations from the purring heal and soothe their central nervous system. Purring is also often due to contempt and wellbeing. When I notice myself humming, it is often times when I am nervous, stressed, or my brain is reeling with information. I also hum when I have a lot of energy and I am happy and cheerful.
According to healthdove.com, many people unconsciously hum to activate the parasympathetic nervous system which reduces stress and as a “self-soothing mechanism because the individual may be able to rely on [himself or] herself instead of seeking gratification from others.” Doesn’t this sound like someone could be talking about a cat instead of a human? Cats too will purr as a tool for self healing. In another article by mnn.com, research shows that cats will purr when they are hurt, stressed, and can even calm down their nervous systems. Based on these two articles, it seems to me that purring and humming have direct correlations.
Sources:
https://healdove.com/older-adults/Elderly-People-and-Humming
http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/why-do-cats-purr
Is Humming in Humans the Equivalent to a Cat’s Purr? by Gigi Spilman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
