Emotions Are Like Farts: A Playful but Powerful Metaphor for Emotional Health
December 19, 2023
Dr. Marcus Rodriguez, founder of the Youth & Family Institute, first wrote “Emotions Are Like Farts” in 2017, inspired by playful phone calls with his children and deeper reflections during his time at McLean Hospital. After sitting dormant for years, the metaphor has now resurfaced — and it’s as relevant as ever.
Why compare emotions to farts? Because both are:
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Universal: Everyone experiences them daily.
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Invisible but real: They may not be seen, but their impact is deeply felt.
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Informative: They signal something important happening internally.
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Sometimes explosive: Left unaddressed, both can become messy.
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Tricky to time: Not every feeling—or fart—needs to be released right away.
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Painful to hold in: Suppression can lead to discomfort or blowups.
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Handled differently: Cultural and personal responses vary widely.
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Partly out of our control: We can’t always stop them from arising, but we can choose how to respond.
At its heart, this metaphor helps normalize emotional experiences—especially for youth. Humor can reduce stigma and open the door to meaningful conversations about emotional regulation, expression, and self-awareness.
Families, educators, and clinicians can use this simple analogy to spark emotional literacy. And that’s no joke!
At YFI, we’re committed to supporting children and teens in Century City and San Marino with evidence-based DBT and CBT therapy for ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and emotional dysregulation.
