We’re writers, we know that words hurt. But they also hurt ourselves. Take a look at this:
Remember the childhood rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?” It sounds optimistic, but it’s actually not true.
According to neuroscientists and brain communication researchers, words can do damage. In fact, negative words release chemicals in your brain that cause stress. Angry words send alarm messages through the brain that shut down logic and reasoning centers. Our minds are hardwired to worry.
But it gets worse. Just like that horror movie where the babysitter discovers the killer is calling from inside the house, some of the most damaging words are the ones we tell ourselves.
“Self-esteem is a word-based inner dialogue going on in your brain,” says Mark Robert Waldman, coauthor of Words Can Change Your Brain (Penguin Group, 2013).
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