Putting Feelings into Words Calms Negative Emotion, Boosts Positive Ones

by Monica Joshi

When telling somebody about how you feel, do you sometimes feel like you just can't find the right words? Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, you find that “feeling word” that you're looking for and you have an “ah-ha” moment. It seemingly lifts a weight off of your shoulders to know that the person or people in front of you now fully understand, or can at the very least relate to the emotion that you're trying to describe. The emotion that you express, once placed into the category of either negative or positive and then even more specifically into the sub-category or “sad” or “happy” or “confused” or “isolated”, makes you feel closer and more intimate with the person next to you.

This feeling of liberation once you have verbalized your emotion and placed it into a category has been found by a study to have a physiological and neurological effect on the brain. A UCLA professor of psychology conducted research on 30 participants and found that prior to labelling your feelings there was increased activity in the part of the brain called the amygdala. The amygdala is the integrative center for emotions, emotional behaviour and motivation. For instance, when we perceive fear, the amygdala is engaged so as to protect ourselves and heighten our awareness. The amygdala also stores memories of events and emotions so that they are recognizable in the future. A person who has suffered a cat bite in their past, having stored that memory in the amygdala will be hyper-alert around cats for the foreseeable future.

Professor Matthew D. Lieberman explains that once the amygdala is engaged and the feeling is labelled as “sad” or “happy” there is a decreased response in the amygdala and an increased activity in the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex; the part of the brain that is used to process emotions.

Lieberman explains that:

“When you put feelings into words, you're activating this prefrontal region and seeing a reduced response in the amygdala. In the same way you hit the brake when you're driving when you see a yellow light -- when you put feelings into words you seem to be hitting the brakes on your emotional responses. As a result, a person may feel less angry or less sad.”

Talking about the emotions and expressing them using language can help not just others, but also oneself to really introspect and enhance self-awareness. In doing so, we are able to rationalize our emotions and work through them instead of reacting instantaneously and rashly. Talking through our emotions can also help release stress and help us feel less alone in a situation in which we find ourselves. It can also aid other people in understanding our present situation and give us advice instead of feeling helpless.

This research has a noticeable impact on our perceptions of the “talking cure”. We can now see that this is not a hoax remedy, but rather a very useful tool to help us express ourselves and work through our emotional stresses. Sharing positive emotions can boost both the listener and the speaker's dopamine levels and aid in mutual stress-free bonding. Naming and sharing our emotions with others has, therefore, a positive neurological and physiological impact on our recovery from negative circumstances.