When my daughter was very young and she whined about not getting her way, I sang a song I made up that went like this, “She’s a whiny hiney. She’s a whiny hiney!” She stopped whining immediately because she wanted me to stop my singing, all off key of course!

Everybody complains about something. If you look around, there’s plenty to complain about, too. Besides this crazy world we now live in, we gripe about the traffic, our jobs, and of course, we like to complain about everything everybody else does wrong because, well, we think we do it right.

Research shows that most people complain once a minute during a typical conversation. We feel good when we complain a little, but just like eating a half gallon of ice cream or drinking a bottle of wine, behavioral scientists say that too much complaining is not good for us.

Studies show our brains lose efficiency if we are chronic complainers. The neurons tend to ignore positive and good information because our brains get so used to the negative thinking and our minds kick back in into the pattern and complaining becomes as easy as drinking a glass of water.

Complainers attract other complainers, too. Griping is socially contagious.

“Did you see the price of cereal? Cheerios costs five bucks a box,” said Tom.

“What a rip off. How about those little spice bottles? Six bucks for a couple of ounces of garlic powder,” said Bart.

“You know, it took me almost an hour to get here. Everywhere you drive, there’s road construction,” said Tom.

“Yup, one lane only. Takes you 10 minutes to drive 20 feet. What a joke!” said Bart.

For the next half-hour, these two complainers lament about the weather, their taxes and every ailment their bodies are suffering.

Chronic complainers are not much fun to be around. They have a knack for casting dark clouds over the sunniest of days. Research also says they want you to join in their pity parties so they can feel better about themselves. If they complain about their aches and pains, they want you to say, “Oh, that’s awful.” If they gripe about their jobs, they’d like to hear, “I know how you feel. I hate my job, too.” Misery does love company and contrary to what they might think about themselves, serial grumblers are not very happy people.

Complaining is also unhealthy for our bodies. Medical scientists say that when we whine constantly, our bodies release stress hormones reducing oxygen flow that lowers energy levels. Immune systems are also compromised, making repeated complaining an open door for high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

If we tell friends or loved ones that they complain too much, they can get defensive and may even stop talking altogether to make us think we hurt their feelings. They also are incapable of being happy for somebody else’s success because they are resigned to think success just happens to everybody else, but never to them.

People who complain often like to think they are standing at the wrong end of a firearm. Spiritual leader Eckhart Tolle wrote, “When you complain, you make yourself a victim. You need to leave the situation, change the situation, or accept it. All else is madness.”

It’s the “woe is me” syndrome. Even if they get the sympathy they want, it never completely satisfies. They keep complaining. It’s a habit they just can’t break. If chronic complainers could add up the minutes, the hours, the days that they spend complaining, a ton of time is sacrificed for moments that could be used for enjoying life.

Complainers are not usually problem solvers. They’ll gripe that the car needs repair, but won’t get it fixed. They’ll whine there’s no food in the house, but won’t go to the grocery store to get some.

Imagine you meet someone you hadn’t seen in years. You remember he would gripe about everything. Five minutes into your conversation, he’s complaining again. Somebody once wrote, “Stay away from ‘still’ people. Still broke, still can’t find a job, still complaining.”

If we all stopped complaining, what would happen?

An anonymous somebody has the answer. “The world becomes a better place when people get busy doing what they love instead of complaining about what they hate.”

Is complaining ever a good behavior? Robert Biswas Diener in Psychology Today, said that “venting” is a common form of complaining. Venters don’t want the problem solved or any advice given. They seek validation for their anger and that’s all.

Diener points out that both venters and chronic complainers can dampen other people’s moods. A recent study tracked moods before and after hearing a complaint. Listening to someone gripe made them feel worse.

“What’s more,” said Diener, “the complainer also felt worse!”

So instead of complaining when it snows, enjoy the look it gives you from the window. Turn up the radio and sing along when stuck in traffic. Try laughing about the little things that go wrong every day.

The next time I complain about anything, I’ll have to remind myself of author, Marty Rubin’s words. “If you’re alive, you have nothing to complain about, and if you’re dead, you have nothing to complain about.”

Rich Strack can be reached at richiesadie11@gmail.com.