- A new article published in Frontiers in Communication suggests that listening to insults is like receiving a “little slap.”
- The big message that is being reformulated recently is that mental health is the same as physical health.
- Verbal insults can lead to stress and depression, according to research.
Words can hurt. Anyone whose feelings have ever been hurt can attest to that.
And now, new research finds that insulting words can also have a physical effect on the body. a new role published in Frontiers in Communication suggests that hearing insults is akin to receiving a verbal “little slap.”
The study researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) and skin conductance recordings to compare the short-term impact of repeated verbal insults with that of repeated positive or neutral statements. The electrodes were applied to 79 participating women. In the experiment setting, insults were absorbed in much the same way as mini slaps to the face would be.
“The vast majority of people strive for a sense of community and belonging. This is driven by both a physical and psychological need for connection and survival. Therefore, people persistently scan their environment for security or membership threats,” he said. allison forty, PhD, an associate professor of teaching in the Wake Forest University Counseling Department, who was not involved in the study. “Obvious threats include acts of physical violence, but verbal threats can be more subtle, though not necessarily more benign. Verbal threats or even minor insults can activate the human stress response by alerting the mind and body to prepare for survival. When survival is tied to a sense of belonging or psychological safety, it may not take much to create a physiological response.”
During the study, the women who participated read a series of repeated statements that were insults, compliments, or neutral and factual statements. Half of the three sets of statements used the participant’s own name and the other half used someone else’s. The participants were told that the statements were being delivered by three different men.
What the study found was that even in a lab setting, without natural human-to-human interaction, and with the participants knowing the statements were coming from fake people, the insulting language still had an effect. EEG showed that the insults had a physical effect, especially when repeated, regardless of whom the insult was directed at.
Study author Dr. Marijn Struiksma of Utrecht University said this study can better help researchers understand social behavior.
“Exactly how words can convey their offensive and emotionally negative charge at the time they are read or heard is not well understood,” said study author Dr. Marijn Struiksma, from Utrecht University. , it’s a statement.
Thea GallagherPsyD, a clinical assistant professor in the NYU Langone Health Department of Psychiatry, said the research corroborates what many people have reported anecdotally.
“Verbal insults can have such a negative impact that we are not really taking in all the positive things. [people can say about us]Gallagher said. “People come to me and a lot of times in sessions we’re talking about things that they’ve been told that hurt them, either as a child or in their current life. That shows that we are sensible people.”
Caroline BobbyLCSW, a psychotherapist at Sonder Health & Wellness in Raleigh, NC, said insults can “inflict real and lasting emotional pain.”
“In the research study, trigger words like ‘idiot’ or ‘ugly’ were used. One observation I made with these trigger words was that they were insults that play into our own self-esteem and insecurities,” Bobbie said. “I often work with clients and their internal dialogue. The truth is that most people are their own harshest critic. Negative feedback like this also influences the negativity bias, making it more difficult for people to focus on positive feedback that would counteract negativity.”
One of the limitations of the study was that it was done in a laboratory and not in real life. But experts believe that the reactions of the participants would be much more dramatic in a real-life scenario.
“These results were found in a laboratory setting. It begs the question, how much worse is it in the real world when people know specific ways to make you mad? Gallagher said. “[The ones doing the insulting] they’re going to find something with a grain of truth, or something you’re sensitive to.” When the verbal attacks are even more personal, the reaction will feel dramatically worse.
A second limitation was the lack of diversity in the study. It only included female participants, who were reacting to insults made by hypothetical men.
“Replicating the study with a more gender-diverse population would provide additional insight into potential gender differences in relation to the physiological impact of verbal threats,” Forti added. “Historically, women created tight social circles for the purpose of physical and psychological survival. Being a member of the community or social group had a higher value due to a drive to survive. A threat to belonging could be catastrophic for a woman. So it makes sense that women are attuned to verbal threats and react physiologically to them.”
How does this apply to our daily lives? It is important to take note of relationships in everyday life where insults may be at play. As much as we think we can “handle” it, the damage can be similar to physical abuse.
“Start by monitoring the people in your life: your partner, your family members, your boss. If you notice that you feel very bad when you are around this group of people, write down what they say to you. Find out if it’s constructive feedback or if it’s something that’s trying to bring you down as a person,” Gallagher said.
The big message that is being reformulated recently is that mental health is the same as physical health. Verbal insults can lead to stress and depressionaccording to studies. stress has an impact about our physical health.
“When people are in a state of anxiety, they may feel more physical pain than someone who doesn’t have anxiety. We give much more credit to our physical health and much less shame than our mental health. Be mindful, set limits, and if the behavior doesn’t change, you may want to get out of that relationship,” Gallagher added.
Bobbie added: “My takeaway from this research study is to take into account how you talk to yourself and to others. As social creatures living in a society, we all need to be prepared for negative feedback. It is a part of life. That said, you can protect your self-esteem from this feedback by learning to calm yourself with your own self-talk. Consider the words you use carefully with yourself and with others, as your words have a lasting impact.”
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