A New Jersey dad has been applauded for stepping in to protect his family from the adverse effects of their "super static couch."
Everyone has experienced the sudden surprise of a static shock. It's the result of an imbalance of electric charges either within or on the surface of a material. A static electric charge can occur when two separately charged surfaces come into contact, resulting in a neutralization of the charge.
It's also something that tends to occur more often during cold weather, in part because many of the warm clothes and blankets we use are made from synthetic fibers like polyester.
Dr. Alton Horsfall, a reader in semiconductor technology at Newcastle University in the U.K., explained to the Daily Mail: "Artificial fabrics tend to be terrible electrical conductors because they don't contain much moisture, so more static builds up."
Combine this with the fact the air and our skin is much drier in colder weather and you have all the conditions needed for static build-up.
Stefany Elliot and her family from Hopatcong, New Jersey, have one other major contributing factor in their case though: their couch.
Getting shocked by the "super static couch" has become a regular occurrence in their house. "It happens all the time," she said. "It's become a sort of nightly running joke with my husband and me bracing ourselves for this ridiculous shock."
Elliot said it's not solely down to their couch though. "With the heat running in the house, the air definitely gets pretty dry," she said. "That plus the fact that I'm a bundler and always wrapped in some sort of blanket on the couch makes for a pretty static environment."
Thankfully for her, her husband, Spencer, has stepped up to take one for the team in recent weeks. Now whenever Elliot gets up, she makes sure to transfer the static shock to Spencer.
Footage of the brave dad taking the hit so his wife doesn't "accidentally shock one of the kids or the pets" was posted to TikTok under the handle Bodybygumby, where it's already been watched over 23 million times.
"When we started noticing we could actually see it, we decided to film it," Elliot said. "I don't post on TikTok often; when I do, it's just things that make me laugh. I figured, if this makes us laugh, it might make other people laugh."
While plenty saw the funny side, many of those watching were full of admiration for her husband's efforts in protecting the rest of the family.
"This is a green flag," one user wrote, a slang term for highlighting an individual's positive action or trait. "This is the greenest of green flags," another wrote.
There is an easier solution, of course. Elliot could "purposefully discharge" herself every once in a while. Writing for McGill University in Canada, Ada McVean explained: "If you carry a metal object like a coin, key or paper clip around with you, and touch it to something metal in your house, any electrons stuck to your body will flow through the metal and away, preventing the 'jumping' effect that causes a shock."
However, it sounds like Elliot and her husband are in no hurry to stock the shocks.
"Honestly, we both just find it pretty funny. Sure, I could touch something grounded, but it's sort of become a part of our evening routine at this point," she said.
She said it's only fair also because the charge usually occurs when she has to get up in the evening to check on one of their crying children. "When I'm the one to get up and I can hear the static crackling as I unwrap the blankets, the shock becomes his natural consequence for being cozy on the couch while I go check on the kiddos," she said.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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