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updated on
Reading 3 min.
in collaboration with
Amélie Boukhobza (Clinical psychologist)
On the set of Quotidien, rapper Damso explained that he regularly undergoes “talk fasts”, periods without any words. Not to preserve your voice, but to develop another relationship with yourself and with others. True virtue or star eccentricity? We asked the question to a psychologist.
“When I do speaking fasts, it allows me to develop a form of relationship with humility“. Guest of Quotidien to present his latest album (I lied, released on November 15), the rapper Damso surprised his audience with this unexpected sentence. Especially since he thus claims to prevent himself from speaking very often , and for one to two weeks (all the same). The artist therefore admits to maintaining complete silence during these chosen times and only accepts emails between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. for emergencies.
Not a word, and emails only one hour a day
But if the rapper allows himself silence, it is not a question of preserving his voice, but of mental health. A personal experience that he recommends: “When we are silent, we end up really trying to listen to the other. Very often, when people talk to each other, they do not silence their inner voice. And when we do this fast of speech, at least when I do it, I manage to silence my inner voice“, he elaborates. “I advise everyone to try, because it allows for a healthy relationship with yourself. It helped me“, he concludes.
Speech fasting, a concept that definitely exists
Damso didn’t invent anything, however. Speech fasting, called speech fasting, indeed has advantages that have already been studied. The Guardian recently devoted an article to it to discuss the benefits of remaining silent for part of the day to be happier. In another article, this time published in Psychology Today last year, a professor of cognitive psychology and doctor of psychology detailed the benefits of imposed silence: above all, this silence would make us aware “how we talk to ourselves and how much we talk to ourselves“According to him, our level of listening would also be of better quality,”partly because we don’t need to think about what we’re going to say“. To practice, however, with people who know that you are in a fast of words, to avoid misunderstandings.
Finally, other studies cited by Healthline established in 2021 a link between periods of silence and a drop in blood pressure, as would meditation. Silence can also help reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol and make us more creative.
Good in his body, good in his head!
“Not everyone feels the need,” according to our psychologist
Silence does indeed have virtues, “provided it is well understood“, underlines for us Amélie Boukhobza, clinical psychologist.
“Above all, in a society saturated with noise and demands, it can be interesting to slow down and refocus,” she agrees.
Talking less also means avoiding the trap of unnecessary words or “automatic” communication, as Damso says. We listen to ourselves more, and we learn to listen better to others.
“That said, not everyone needs to go through such extreme silence! A few moments of daily introspection should be enough to feel the effects.“, recalls the expert. “The main thing is to ask yourself: why do we need to be silent? To escape overload? To run away from something? Or simply to get together better? This is what should guide us“.
Silence can therefore be an excellent mental well-being tool to apply if it makes us feel good. “But it should not become a way to avoid important things“, she concludes.
It’s up to everyone to explore, to see their own needs, without necessarily following the practices of an artist or a trend to the letter.
Slide: 8 signs of declining mental health