Read Time: 2 mins

Being “high-strung” means you are excessively nervous, tense, or uptight.

But there is a hidden vibe history to this phrase.

According to literary critic and historian Shelley Trower in Senses of Vibration (2012), eighteenth century English scientists, philosophers, poets, and the alike began conceptualizing vibrations as a physical/materialist phenomenon.

It was understood that physical vibrations (from sound, light, wind, nature) would stimulate the nerves of the human body. The nerves would then further vibrate, carrying sensations to the brain. The brain translates those vibrations into thoughts. In brief, our bodies were thought of as strings that respond to vibrations (p. 19).

This conception expanded over time, with the body being understood as both receiving and producing vibrations via human speech (all sound, including speech, is a vibration) (p. 24).

Calling someone “nervous” in 1790 was thought of as a compliment—in the sense that they were finely-strung like a well-crafted chordophone (string instrument).

But by 1810, a more derogatory meaning emerged, with someone now being high-strung (overly sensitive, stimulated, tense). Some doctors of the time believed that “such vibrations were contagious” as the symptoms and conditions of one’s nervous system could be transferred to others without physical contact (p. 29).

Regardless of how someone understands vibes (physical vs metaphysical, for instance), most of us can agree that vibes can be contagious without “physical contact.” This is why we “catch vibes” from someone and why positive and negative people can uplift and depress us, respectively.

Next time you are feeling high-strung, envision your tension as a string that can be pulled tighter or released. If you choose to release it, then you can move from high-strung to nicely-strung.