As a speech therapist who provides treatment for tongue thrust and oral posture, I don’t just listen to what people say—I watch how their bodies behave at rest. While watching a documentary featuring Sean Combs, (among all the other much more disturbing themes) one speech pattern stood out immediately: a perpetually open mouth.
From a clinical lens, that posture isn’t cosmetic or accidental. It’s a physiological clue—one that often signals the body is operating in fight or flight, driven by the sympathetic nervous system.
Open-Mouth Posture and the Nervous System
The nervous system has two primary modes that influence posture, breathing, and voice:
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Parasympathetic (“rest and digest”): calm, regulated, efficient
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Sympathetic (“fight or flight”): alert, tense, survival-oriented
When the sympathetic system is chronically activated—due to pressure, hyper-vigilance, deadlines, conflict, or high-stakes leadership—the body prepares for action. One of the fastest ways it does this is by opening the mouth to increase air intake.
That open-mouth posture is not a habit; it’s a stress response.
Why Fight-or-Flight Keeps the Mouth Open
When someone lives in a constant state of urgency or control, the body adapts in predictable ways:
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Jaw drops slightly to allow faster breathing
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Lips remain parted
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Tongue lowers from the palate
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Neck and shoulder muscles stay engaged
This posture prioritizes speed and vigilance, not efficiency or longevity. It’s helpful in short bursts—but harmful when it becomes the default.
In the documentary, P Diddy appears to operate almost entirely in this heightened state. The open mouth aligns with what clinicians recognize as chronic sympathetic activation—always on, always scanning, always bracing.
The Cost of Chronic Fight-or-Flight on Communication
1. Breathing Becomes Less Efficient
Open-mouth breathing bypasses nasal regulation. Over time, this leads to:
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Shallow breaths
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Reduced oxygen efficiency
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Faster fatigue
For communication, that means less stamina and more strain.
2. Voice Production Suffers
When the nervous system is locked in “go mode”:
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The throat tightens
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Resonance drops
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Vocal endurance decreases
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The voice may sound pressed, sharp, or fatigued
The voice mirrors the nervous system state.
3. Posture and Presence Are Affected
Fight-or-flight posture often includes:
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Forward head position
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Jaw tension
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Elevated shoulders
These patterns limit vocal power and reduce perceived calm authority—ironically undermining leadership presence.
4. The Body Never Fully Recovers
The most important issue is duration. Acute stress is normal. Chronic stress rewires posture.
When open-mouth posture becomes the norm, the body loses access to:
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True rest
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Vocal recovery
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Efficient communication
This is where performance plateaus—and burnout begins.
Why This Matters at Work (Especially for Leaders)
High-performing environments often reward urgency, intensity, and control. But the nervous system doesn’t distinguish between “important meeting” and “actual threat.”
Leaders who remain in fight-or-flight:
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Speak more, but connect less
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Push harder, but fatigue faster
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Command attention, but lose sustainability
Open-mouth posture is one of the earliest visible signs of this imbalance.
What Speech Therapy Can Do
Speech-language pathologists trained in oral posture and nervous system regulation help clients:
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Restore nasal breathing
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Retrain closed-lip rest posture
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Reduce jaw and throat tension
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Improve vocal efficiency and endurance
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Shift the body back toward parasympathetic regulation
This work isn’t about sounding “softer.”
It’s about communicating from a regulated, powerful state.
Final Thoughts
An open mouth at rest is not laziness, distraction, or style. Clinically, it often signals a body that has been living in survival mode for far too long.
Watching P Diddy through this lens reveals something deeper than drive or dominance—it reveals the cost of perpetual fight-or-flight on the body and voice.
Because true authority doesn’t come from tension.
It comes from regulation.
And the nervous system always speaks—long before the mouth does.
If you or someone you know in the Utah County area is in need of treatment for oral mouth posture or tongue thrust therapy, reach out to Live Well Speech Therapy by phone or text at (801) 420-4083, or e-mail me at jackie@livewellspeechtherapy.com. We accept private pay and most insurances.
