Study finds Words can really hurt
Stones and sticks can definitely break bones but a recent study though show that we need to revise this. A new research confirmed that the pain centers of the brain are activated when a person hears pain-related words.
Let us say you read the words “grueling”, “tormenting”, or “plaguing”. These words trigger our memories of past experiences related to pain.
Mental health experts from a university in Germany subjected 16 people in a test. They required the subjects to read words which are pain related while imagining or recalling scenarios which can represent or correspond to the words. The subjects were also asked to repeat the exercise while a brain teaser distracts them. The brains of the subjects were scanned by a magnetic resonance imaging or MRI during the activities.
The proponents confirmed that there were certainly activities in the pain centers of the brains as the subjects read “painful” words and recounted an associated painful scenario.
The center of the brain might be triggered because it wants the body to avoid a similar painful experience. The pain centers were triggered despite being distracted by brain teasers or other inputs.
The number of subjects were limited but that setup is typical to studies involving brain imaging.
The psychologists also tried to use other negative but non-pain related words like “horrible”, “disgusting”, or “terrifying” but these did not trigger the pain matrix of the brain. Positive and neutral words did not produce any activity comparable to those linked to pain-related words.
Tags: Mental Health