Gas, breath, reflux … almost 47 % of French people consider digestive disorders as the most annoying situation possible in society. A figure taken from a study Opinionwaywhich highlights a real social phobia linked to intestinal intimacy. Ronan Chastellier, sociologist, sees it as a contemporary obsession with bodily control: “It is an attack on dignity. The idea today is to display impeccable intestinal behavior. Everything that escapes this control becomes unspeakable“. An investigation which questions our relationship to the body, to intimacy … and in view of others.
The most dreaded digestive manifestations
The study, conducted on a representative panel of 1,012 people, shows that gases are the bane of the French, far ahead of other digestive symptoms. For 73 % of respondents, they embody the absolute discomfort. Follow breath (41 %), bloating (30 %), gastric reflux and rots (29 %each).
These figures reflect a strong rejection of what makes an intimate body process visible or audible. “”Young people (62 % of 18-24 year olds) and women (56 %) are the most concerned, because they suffer more social pressure from appearance and self-control“Explains Ronan Chastellier.
This need for “sensory cleanliness” is found in all contexts:
- 24 % fear a digestive problem in a professional environment;
- 20 % during a romantic meeting;
- 18 % during a classic conversation.
No one really knows what is the right time to let his belly speak … so we prevent him from expressing himself.
Why do the French live their digestion so badly?
The discomfort is not limited to physical manifestations. It refers to a deep representation of the body in social space, according to the sociologist: “There is a ‘gastric me. To feel bad is often to have a stomach ache. Our feeling of reality goes through the intestine, valued today as a ‘second brain’ “.
The body, and in particular the belly, becomes an invisible field of wrestling. Ronan Chastellier talks about “hidden struggles“: We squeeze our teeth, we remember, we suffer in silence. In particular the women, who prefer to avoid going to the toilet with a friend or carrying too tight jeans despite the bloating, rather than assuming their digestive disorders in public.
Digestion then becomes an image issue, a border between controlled humans and animality that we want to silence.
What the French do to avoid these situations
Faced with this silent pressure, most of them are looking for solutions. And not only among doctors (68 %) or pharmacists (51 %). 44 % of respondents favor natural alternatives to drugs.
Among vogue products:
- Plant -based capsules or sticks (fennel, artichoke, active coal, etc.);
- Complements like Digest Confort (Pranarôm) or Digest & Glow (Like);
- Enzymes and sprays aimed at “lightening” the belly.
A more marked trend in women and young people, anxious to combine discretion, efficiency … and respect for their image.