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Remember learning that age-old adage “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all?” Lately, it seems as if this important lesson didn’t really stick.

Outbursts abound: Glenn Beck simulated boiling a frog on national television as a response to healthcare reform. A New York City Mister Softee ice cream truck made news by raging menacing turf war against a Good Humor truck. Serena Williams threatened a judge at the U.S. Open. And of course, the cringe-worthy “Kanye-Taylor Swift” humiliation at the MTV Video Music Awards. But this series of outbursts isn’t limited to politicians and celebrities: there’s been an equal explosion in exclamations in the workplace, at schools, and in public settings like restaurants. Clearly, Americans are suffering from what the Los Angeles Times aptly termed an “impulse control disorder.”

Whether it’s the rants and raves of politicians, celebrities, or co-workers, there’s no question that impulsive outbursts are linked to the relentlessly swinging economic pendulum of 2009. Americans, weary of their ‘battle wounds’ from the past year’s job market lows, healthcare debates, and credit crises, tend to run their mouths off a bit. But as the etiquette experts and PR professionals will tell you, humility is the best policy. If you make a mistake, stand up and apologize! And here’s an impulse we all should act on and celebrate: 2010 will expectedly provide an antidote to the troubling symptoms of 2009.