Weird and Wonderful
Q & A: Why do we 'dance' when we want to pee?
Answer:
A full bladder is uncomfortable and creates a sense of urgency in our mind. The conflict between the desire to take action to relieve the stress and the fact that circumstances don’t currently permit us to, gets translated into various rhythmic displacement behaviours. These include humming to ourselves, clenching and unclenching muscles or hopping from foot to foot, despite the fact that remaining still and calm actually allows you to last for longer. Another example of displacement behaviour is when a person scratches their head when they don’t know which of two options to choose.
Displacement Behavior Definition
Performance of an act inappropriate for the stimulus or stimuli that evoked it. It usually occurs when ‘an animal’ is torn between two conflicting drives, such as fear and aggression. Displacement activities in animals often involve actions that bring comfort such as scratching, drinking or feeding.
