View source for Calmness

{{short description|Mental state of inner peace}}
[[File:A calm by James Gillray.jpg|thumb|right|''A Calm'', by [[James Gillray]]]]
[[File:Abbot of Watkungtaphao in Phu Soidao Waterfall.jpg|thumb|200px|Doing [[meditation]] could help people be in a calm state.]]
'''Calmness''' or, '''nonchalance''' is the [[mental state]] of [[Inner peace|peace of mind]], being free from agitation, excitement, or [[Psychological stress|disturbance]].<ref name=webster>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calmness|title=calm|website=www.merriam-webster.com|date=30 July 2023 }}</ref> It also refers to being in a state of serenity, tranquillity, or peace.<ref name="a1" >{{cite web|url=https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Calmness|title=calmness|work=The Free Dictionary|access-date=2016-04-01}}</ref> Calmness can most easily occur for the average person during relaxation, but it can also be found during much more alert and aware states.<ref>{{cite book|first=Aaron|last=Ben-Ze’er|title=The Subtlety of Emotions|year=2001|page=57}}</ref> Some people find that focusing the mind on something external, such as studying, or internal, such as breathing, can be very calming.

==Childhood origins==
Parental soothing (by rocking, holding, etc.) in infancy lays the foundations of the capacity to self-calm.<ref>{{cite book|first=Allan N.|last=Schore|title=Affect Regulation and the Origin of Self|publisher=Hillsdale|year=1994|page=226}}</ref> Thereafter [[transitional object]]s can help maintain calmness,<ref>{{cite book|first=D.W.|last=Winnicott|title=The Child, the Family, and the inside World|publisher=Penguin|year=1973|pages=168–69}}</ref> while pets as {{clarify|text=self-objects|date=July 2023}} also promote soothing and calmness.<ref>{{cite book|editor-first1=Christopher|editor-last1=Blazina|editor-first2=Guler|editor-last2=Boyraz|editor-first3=David|editor-last3=Shen-Miller|title=The Psychology of the Human-Animal Bond|year=2011|publisher=Springer|page=154}}</ref>

==Cultivating calmness==

Calmness is a quality that can be cultivated and increased with practice,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simoleonsense.com/the-psychology-of-cool-calm-collected/ |title=The Psychology of Cool, Calm, & Collected |date=December 3, 2008|access-date=April 23, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513144845/http://www.simoleonsense.com/the-psychology-of-cool-calm-collected/ |archive-date=May 13, 2011 }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=July 2023}} or developed through psychotherapy.<ref>{{cite book|first=Daniel|last=Goleman|title=Emotional Intelligence|location=London|year=1996|page=214}}</ref> It usually requires training for one's mind to stay calm in the face of a great deal of different stimulation, and possible distractions, especially emotional ones. The [[negative emotion]]s are the greatest challenge to someone who is attempting to cultivate a calm mind. Some disciplines that promote and develop calmness are [[prayer]], [[yoga]], [[tai chi]], [[martial arts]], [[theatre arts]], [[gardening]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Thompson |first1=Richard |title=past president |journal=Clinical Medicine  |year=2018 |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=201–205 |publisher=Royal College of Physicians, London |doi=10.7861/clinmedicine.18-3-201 |pmid=29858428 |pmc=6334070 }}</ref> [[relaxation training]], [[Breathing exercise|breath training]], and [[meditation]]. [[Jon Kabat-Zinn]] states that "Your mindfulness will only be as robust as the capacity of your mind to be calm and stable. Without calmness, the mirror of mindfulness will have an agitated and choppy surface and will not be able to reflect things with any accuracy."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/calmness|title=Calmness Quotes|website=www.goodreads.com}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=July 2023}}

[[Sarah Wilson (journalist)|Sarah Wilson]] recommends reducing one's exposure to choices/decisions as a route to calm.<ref>{{cite book|first=Sarah|last=Wilson|title=First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety|location=London|publisher=Dey Street Books|year=2018|pages=210–11}}</ref>{{clarify|reason=explain what makes Wilson an authority on this subject|date=July 2023}}

==Peace of mind==

Another term associated with calmness is "[[peace]]".{{r|webster}} A mind that is at peace or calm will cause the body to produce fewer stress hormones; this in turn gives the person a stable emotional state and promotes good health in every area of life, including [[marriage]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=98658&page=2|title=Study: Bad Hormones Lead to Bad Marriages|author=ABC News|work=ABC News|access-date=2016-04-01}}</ref> It is beneficial to stay calm, especially during stressful events.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.apa.org/topics/anger/control|title=Controlling Anger — Before It Controls You|work=APA Psychology Topics|date=3 March 2022|access-date=2016-04-01}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The term comes from [[Middle English]] {{lang|enm|calme}}, from [[Old French]], from [[Old Italian]] {{lang|it|calmo}}, from [[Late Latin]] {{lang|la|cauma}}, "heat of the day", the "resting place in the heat of the day", from Greek {{transliteration|grc|kauma}}, burning heat, from {{transliteration|grc|kaiein}}, to burn.<ref name="a1" />

==Cultural examples==
*[[Edward Gibbon|Gibbon]] praised [[Boethius]]: “the sage who could artfully combine in the same work, the various riches of philosophy, poetry, and eloquence, must already have possessed the intrepid calmness, which he affected to seek”.<ref>{{cite book|first=Edward|last=Gibbon|year=2005|title=Abridged Decline and Fall|publisher=Penguin|page=444}}</ref>
*[[Raymond A. Spruance|Rear Admiral Spruance]], carrier commander at the [[Battle of Midway]], was nicknamed "Electric Brain" because of his calmness in the hottest action.<ref>{{cite book|first=R.|last=Overy|title=Why the Allies Won|location=London|year=2006|page=46}}</ref>
*[[Lord David Cecil]] saw [[Wuthering Heights]] as dominated by the contrast between what he called on the one hand “the principle of storm... and on the other, the principle of calm – of the gentle, the merciful, the passive, and the tame”.<ref>Quoted in {{cite book|first=R.|last=Wallace|title=Emily Bronte and Beethoven|year=2008|page=49}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Wiktionary|calmness}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{annotated link|[[Ataraxia]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Equanimity]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Humorism]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Stress (biology)|Stress]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Vagus nerve]]}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2|}}

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[[Category:Positive mental attitude]]
[[Category:Happiness]]
[[Category:Emotions]]