Confirmation: There is Power in Words
Christianity is under attack and the Bible is no longer viewed as true by many in our culture. However, in one more area, research has supported the truth of the Word. It confirms that if we follow Philippians 4:18 and think on things worthy of praise, we’ll have a better life and we can also improve other people’s lives.
I don’t know that anybody has really questioned the truth of Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” We’ve all experience the death of discouraging, angry, or hurtful words and the power of encouraging, uplifting, hopeful ones.
We know by experience that words can either tear us down or build us up, but now research confirms it. Dr. Andrew Newberg, a neuroscientist at Thomas Jefferson University, and Mark Robert Waldman, a communication expert, write, “A single word has the power to influence the expression of genes that regulate physical and emotional stress.”
In their book, Words Can Change Your Brain, they share their findings on how negative words and positive words affect the frontal lobe of the brain in both the speaker and the hearer. They used MRI images of the brain to show what parts of the brain were affected by words and thoughts as well as studying other effects on the body.
Newberg and Waldman discovered that using—or hearing, reading, or thinking about—positive words such as “love,” “peace,” and “compassion” enhances our brain function by increasing cognitive reasoning and the sense of happiness, as well as lowering stress levels.
Holding a positive word in our mind stimulates specific language centers that lead to action. Continued focus on positive words changes your perception of life—of yourself, others, your wellbeing, and apparently even of reality.
The studies confirmed the potential for giving life to ourselves and to those around us. Newberg and Waldman confirmed the truth that there is life in our words, life capable of changing our whole outlook on life.
Their studies showed the same, and the yet the opposite of negative words. They too have the power of change, but instead of improving our view of self and life, they have a negative effect.
Negative words prevent the formation of neuro-chemicals that aid in stress management. Consequently, negative words increase stress, fear, and anxiety. They c
ause stress-producing hormones that interrupt logic, reasoning, and language processes in the brain.
As little as a second of attention on the negative words creates a change in hormones produced. The longer attention is given to negativity, the greater the impact, leading to disruptions in memory, emotions, sleep, appetite, and the enjoyment of long-term happiness or satisfaction.
Facial expressions such as frowning or other negative signs such as tone of voice also negatively impact brain functions. These studies confirm that death is in the power of the tongue—for the speaker and the hearer.
The study also confirms that we need to heed Phillipians 4:8, where we are told to think on whatever things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. Furthermore, “If there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Phil 4:8b).
God didn’t just say to think on positive things. He said to meditate on them, to spend time thinking on them. Furthermore, He listed a long list of positive things in case we have a hard time finding something positive to think about a particular situation.
We’ve known thinking about positive things will make life seem more pleasant in the moment, but until scientific research confirmed it, I didn’t realize that there are actual physical changes in the body when we choose to focus on the positive.
I’d also heard that it’s easier to motive others to positive action through praise rather than using harsh words or put-downs. And I’ve seen that people reared with constant correction and little praise tend to be pessimists. But, seeing the evidence of changes in the chemical make-up in the brain increases my desire to lead others through encouraging words and actions.
Just this past week, I had a particularly unpleasant and difficult job to do, one that I dreaded for weeks. (Shopping for something particular, and I do not like to shop.) The designated day finally came. I worked to keep my attitude positive as I went from store to store and I credited my attitude for maintaining my stamina better than normal shopping days.
But I didn’t find what I was looking for. My feet hurt and I ached all over, but my attitude remained fine, even though my hands were empty.
That is, until at the end of the long day, when something else negative overwhelmed me, and I sank into a pit of negative thinking.
I was drowning in negativity so badly I couldn’t go to sleep. I reminded myself to “think on whatsoever things are true, noble, of good report, worthy of praise . . ..”
It was hard. I kept sliding back into the negatives.
Finally, I got up and read Philippians 4 to help me get my mind turned around to a place of trust in the Lord.
Before I had victory in thinking positively, the Lord gave me an idea of how to solve the problem—without making the purchase I was looking for. With the idea, I gained total peace and calm. And a transformed mindset.
It’s a familiar verse. Even if we believe God’s Word and seek to follow Him, it’s easy to scan over the familiar, especially if it isn’t a central doctrine. But, it will heed us to apply all of God’s truth to our lives. Application of truth often impacts our lives more than we realize. Thanks to science, we can take note and learn to be more positive in thought as well as with our tongue.
One way to change your brain is to take time each day to write down three positive things about the day. Or let each member of the family share something positive about the day–or an event–during a meal as you sit around the table.
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https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/words-can-change-your-brain/201208/the-most-dangerous-word-in-the-world
http://thespiritscience.net/2016/05/18/your-words-can-change-your-brain/