‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.’
Popular as they are, those words really aren’t as accurate as we would like them to be.
Words are a part of almost every aspect of our lives, and the words we use impact not only those we are speaking to, but the very way we see the world – and even the chemicals released in our brain.
For instance: when we swear, our brains release chemicals called endogenous opiates that can help alleviate pain and provide a sense of wellbeing. But use a replacement for a swear word that might be more socially acceptable, and we don’t get that same positive chemical reinforcement from our brains.
In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke explain how the words we use inform and impact so much of our lives.
