“Keep Calm and Carry On” is a popular phrase emblazoned on virtually everything from mugs, T-shirts, tote bags to other novelty products. Chances are that you have seen it somewhere on the internet, mostly in the form of memes and parodies.

The phrase was originally a slogan on a British wartime poster produced in 1939 in an attempt to boost national morale and prepare the public for the difficulties ahead. Unlike the other two designs in the series, it was never officially issued. Most of the unreleased posters were then recycled in 1940 due to paper shortage. With very few copies left, the phrase languished in obscurity until one dusty copy was discovered at the bottom of a box of used books by two booksellers from Northumberland at the turn of the 21st century.

The phrase has since taken on a new lease of life. In 2009, it spread like wildfire as a global financial crisis took hold. The message finally came through, not as a solemn appeal for resilience on the verge of air raids, but as a humorous take on survival in the wake of an economic disaster. That very same year, the BBC described the simple five-word mantra as “the very model of British restraint and stiff upper lip”. The British have historically been perceived as resilient, composed, repressed and emotionally stunted. But what has any of this got to do with a piece of rigid flesh?

When under emotional pressure, our lips tend to tremble uncontrollably. This automatic response to anxiety is often viewed as a sign of weakness. Those who are described as capable of keeping a stiff upper lip can keep their emotions in check and display fortitude and stoicism in difficult situations.

Keeping a stiff upper lip is often seen as the quintessential national trait of the Britons, who are thought to be very good at remaining resolute and unemotional in the face of adversity, be it war, recession or something as trivial as a burnt meal. Interestingly, though, the earliest printed reference to the phrase is found in American works. As defined in Dictionary of Americanisms: A Glossary of Words and Phrases, Usually Regarded as Peculiar to the United States, which was published in 1848, to keep a stiff upper lip is “to continue firm, unmoved”.

Nowadays, the upper lips of British people may not be as stiff as they once were. According to a poll in 2022, Britons are increasingly convinced that the British stiff upper lip is becoming a thing of the past. A majority of them wear their hearts on their sleeves instead, which means to display their feelings openly.

Besides a stiff upper lip, you may also want to keep your head amid chaos and confusion, which means to remain calm and rational. This expression can be found in Rudyard Kipling’s “If”, a famous poem that epitomises the stoicism and “stiff upper lip” self-discipline of the Victorian era. The poem, written from the perspective of a father giving advice to his son, begins and ends thus:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

The English language offers a variety of phrases that urge a person to be patient and control their temper. Some of these use the concept of “keeping something on”, such as “keep your shirt on”, “keep your hair on”, “keep your pants on” or “keep your wig on”. It is suggested that the origin of “keep your shirt on” comes from the bygone custom of taking off one’s shirt before fighting. The other “keep something on” expressions can be explained along the same line.

We live in an era full of challenges and uncertainties. While restraining feelings and emotions by keeping a stiff upper lip might be considered outdated and detrimental to mental health, the “keep calm” message will likely carry on since this seems to be the best advice.