• discussions >
• Front Room

Woman worried about her husband's temper

A woman goes to a therapist and tells him: "I'm worried about my husband's temper. Every day he yells at me. It scares me."

The therapist says, "I have a cure for that. When your husband starts getting angry, take a glass of water and swish it around in your mouth. Don't swallow it. Just keep swishing it in your mouth until he calms down."

Two weeks later the woman comes back and says, "That was a brilliant idea. Every time my husband started getting mad, I took a mouthful of water and swished and swished until he calmed down. How does a glass of water do that?"

The therapist replies, "The water has nothing to do with it. It's keeping your mouth shut that does the trick."