Perhaps we’ve all experienced a time when we tried to convey serenity and calmness to a person who is undergoing some difficult life experience, and appears desperate. And everything around us stops like a frozen screen image. There is only us, the person we are speaking to, and a warm enveloping atmosphere that is nourishing the strength our words transmit. Although this image is somewhat poetic, it is a representation of what that act means to us, as well as to the person we are speaking to.
Of course, there’s the opposite. When anger, fueled by verbal or physical aggression, is what drives the words that come out of our mouths like fiery darts, and a dark and oppressive atmosphere surrounds the scene.
Neuroscience and words
The impact of positive words on the brain and emotions manifests itself in several aspects.
These words stimulate different areas, one of which is the frontal lobe, which affects planning and cognitive control and activates the reward centers.
They trigger the release of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, which improves mood and motivation, and reduce the release of cortisol, the hormone responsible for stress.
They modify the perception of reality, making the person more tolerant of frustration and focused, thus promoting their mental health.
In the area of social interaction, positive words establish an emotional connection, strengthening self-esteem and stimulating cooperation, acting as a bridge to well-being in relationships.
When used systematically, they promote social neuroplasticity because they contribute to building a more positive and balanced reality, both for the speaker and the listener, reinforcing neural circuits of trust and resilience.
Negative words, on the other hand, activate the amygdala – fear or anxiety – trigger stress – cortisol – and can hinder cognition and foster pessimism, reinforcing negative neuroplasticity.
How does the brain process words?
There are several neuroscience studies that demonstrate how the brain reacts within seconds of saying or even just thinking a word. Simply saying a word can cause the brain to release stress and anxiety, or to trigger feelings of happiness and increased productivity.
There is a recent study carried out by neuroscientists from the State University of Virginia (Virginia Tech, VTC) and published in Cell Reports, led by the computational neuroscientist Read Montague, professor of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and head of the Center of Research in Human Neuroscience at that Institute. This study represents a pioneering exploration of how neurotransmitters process the emotional content of language, a uniquely human function.
The study connects the biological and the symbolic, and states that:
“The common belief about brain chemicals, such as dopamine and serotonin, is that they send signals related to the positive or negative value of experiences,” said Montague, co-senior author and co-author of the study. “Our findings suggest that these chemicals are released in specific areas of the brain when we process the emotional meaning of words. More broadly, our research supports the idea that brain systems that evolved to help us react to the good or bad things in our environment may also influence how we process words, which are equally important for our survival.”
Other studies tell us that negative words affect us the most. Any negative word used will trigger the amygdala and activate stress mechanisms, causing the brain to imagine catastrophic scenarios and creating more stress, worry, and anxiety. In the future, this will cause the brain to change functionally, learning to protect itself when it hears negative words like “no”, and it will send signals throughout the body. That´s why, it’s no coincidence that this causes muscle pain and excessive fatigue.
A study conducted by Japanese neuroscientists revealed that the impact of negative words on the brain is even greater when they are directed at our own characteristics. We can deduce that the impact of words alters our logic, reasoning ability, and information processing. Furthermore, negative words have the capacity to influence our sleep patterns, appetite, and other bodily functions.
With this knowledge, it is important to make a conscious change in our behavior by ceasing to undervalue and belittle ourselves, and starting to eliminate negative words from our vocabulary, setting aside self-criticism and criticism of others and beginning to practice positive statements from the moment we wake up until we go to bed.
Living Consciously
Living consciously means being present and attentive to thoughts, emotions, and actions, acting with intention and not reactively or automatically according to mood. This involves non-judgmental observation, connecting with the present moment through breath and the senses, and aligning with one’s own values, bringing calm, improving decisions, and reducing stress through practices such as meditation and mindfulness in daily activities.
Being conscious involves being in the present, recognizing thoughts and emotions without judging them, choosing how to respond instead of reacting automatically, knowing your own patterns, motivations and values, and feeling your body, nature and relationships more deeply.
To become conscious, we need a Method based on meditation, a sensible diet, attention focused on everyday activities, gratitude for small daily actions, and moments of silence and space to connect with oneself.
This allows us to recognize the importance of using positive and encouraging language and setting negative words aside when we act and express ourselves verbally. And, as already mentioned regarding the effect of words on the brain, this leads to reduced stress and anxiety, improved concentration and decision-making, healthier relationships, increased self-esteem and sense of purpose, and a transformed life experience, making it richer and less mechanical.
What our life experience tells us
Not everything is black and white. Mood, health, humor, and state of consciousness determine how we daily react to circumstances that require our attention, and how our mind and heart inform the words we utter consciously or unconsciously. Only the discipline of a life Method practiced throughout our lives can truly shape our behavior and our words.
This implies self-knowledge, which, although a recurring and repeatedly used expression to express the need to be aware of oneself, is not an automatic act or easily achieved without persistent and continuous work on oneself.
One simple exercise is the retrospective examination done before falling asleep. We visualize what happened during the day, from the moment we went to bed until we woke up, like a movie playing in our minds without judgment. Over time, this exercise can be extended from more than a day to a week, a month, even several months or a year. It’s a conscious pause to impartially evaluate events without judgment, revealing patterns in our behavior and providing us with information about what we need to change so we can consciously adjust our course.
It allows us to recognize if the events we experienced were part of our circumstantial mood, an ailment that affects us, a state of mind due to difficulties that afflict us, or the state of consciousness that we have reached.
In other words, the retrospective examination is a process of personal reflection where past moments, decisions, and experiences are reviewed to understand what worked and what didn’t, and to draw lessons that help improve future behavior, habits, and performance. Thus, it serves as a tool for self-knowledge, growth, and awareness of one’s own life.
The revelation that comes from this exercise helps us, along with an exercise such as meditation, to reverse the automatic behavior that responds to these states. It is not a magical or miraculous achievement, like that produced by medicine, but rather a lifelong, ongoing work on oneself, supported by the conviction of a transcendent destiny inherent in the soul that animates us.
Moreover, we have seen that neuroplasticity is the incredible ability of the brain to reorganize itself and change its structure and function throughout life, forming new neural connections or modifying existing ones in response to experience, learning, the environment or injuries, allowing us to learn, adapt and recover from brain damage.
Meditation is a powerful tool that takes advantage of neuroplasticity to reshape the brain, allowing you to create new, more adaptive habits and behaviors, moving from automatic reactions to conscious and calm responses.
With these exercises and perseverance in trying to be conscious of what our words provoke in ourselves and others, we can modify our verbal habits to bring peace, faith, hope, and even happiness to our environment.
