Blog 4 - Habits & Truth - Someone Just Walked Over My Grave!

Introduction

Growing up, I would hear the saying "oh someone just walked over my grave!"  I have always been curious as to where this saying comes from as it kind of implies that you're already dead?

So when this blog came up I thought it is the perfect opportunity to do a bit of investigation using my newly acquired  website investigator skills.

When you type "Someone just walked over my grave" into the search engine Google (example below),  there are many different types of websites that provide an "answer" to the search request.  What does it where does it come and is there a scientific explanation are the two points I have chosen to focus on.

Image 1: Google search - Someone just walked over my grave
Source: Google.com.au Search Engine

What does this saying mean?

Often when someone suddenly and involuntarily shivers for reasons unknown it is accompanied by the saying someone just walked over my grave.  It's most often used to explain the inexpiable.  What I really want to know is where it came from, what are the saying's origins?  

This search for this answer was really quite fascinating, reading the different meanings and perspectives was extremely interesting.   

The Phrase Finder, Gary Martin (n.d.) suggests that the origins of this phrase began around 1738, and is attributed to the different beliefs held in that time.  As the mortality rate back then was considerably higher at a younger age, family burial plots were much more common than they are now (U.S. Department of the Interior 1992).  Furthermore, there was much superstition surrounding death and the afterlife during that time, which suggests what we believe to be an old wives tale now, might have very well been a belief back then. 

Now, because I like to try and find a sound explanation for things I wanted to see if there is a scientific reason people experience these sudden shivers.

Image 2: Grave Stones
Source: 19th Century Art of Mourning

Is there a scientific explanation?

Shivering is the bodily response to a message received by the brain, saying that the body is cold and needs to readjust to the homeostasis level of 37°C.  As temperature control in the body is very important to the regulation of the different systems, a slight shiver can help adjust the body's temperature back to normal (Ramsay & Woods 2014).  Thus, temperature regulation could be a plausible explanation as to why people get a sudden shiver every now and then.

Conclusion

No matter the reason, I think old sayings and wives tales have come about in an effort to persuade growing children to do what is best for them.  Using stories to educate helps challenge us to find the answers to questions and ask why is something true, just because it is a saying that has been around for generations does not mean there is not some element of truth behind it.  There is always two sides to any story, which is definitely true in relation to this blog posting!

References:

The Phrase Finder 2014, Someone is walking over my grave, viewed 20 August 2014, http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/someone-is-walking-over-my-grave.html

Ramsay, DS & Woods, SC 2014, Clarifying the roles of homeostasis and allostasis in physiological regulation, Psychological Review, vol. 121, no. 2, pp. 225-247  http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=50b33b69-6268-4dfb-923b-c7aea2085246%40sessionmgr4004&vid=8&hid=4202

U.S Department of the Interior, National Park Service 1992, Guidelines for evaluation and registering cemeteries and burial places, viewed 21 August 2014, http://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb41/nrb41_5.htm