You know, there's often a truth behind those old sayings that we all repeat without thinking -- like "sorrow shared is sorrow halved." And now there's even scientific evidence for the proof that expressing or sharing your feelings is good for you.
I was reading about an experiment conducted by UCLA psychologist Matthew Lieberman. Of course, psychology has long held that talking about your feelings is helpful, but hasn't been able to explain why or how. Well, in the experiment, 30 people were hooked up to machines that scan the brain to show which parts are active or inactive at any given time.
The volunteers were then shown pictures of faces with different emotional expressions. Generally, when an angry or fearful face is shown, there is increased activity in an area of the brain called the amygdala. It serves as an alarm to activate the body in times of danger.
But this time, instead of just a picture of a face, below some of the photos was a selection of words to choose from to describe the emotion shown on the face. When the volunteers were asked to pick the word that described the feeling on the face, there was less response in the amygdala. Instead, there was more activity in an area of the brain that helps to process emotions.
That just goes to show that talking about your feelings does help. So don't hesitate to share your problems with friends and loved ones. And don't forget the other part to that old saying ---- "joy shared is joy doubled"!
- Rochelle Gordon
I was reading about an experiment conducted by UCLA psychologist Matthew Lieberman. Of course, psychology has long held that talking about your feelings is helpful, but hasn't been able to explain why or how. Well, in the experiment, 30 people were hooked up to machines that scan the brain to show which parts are active or inactive at any given time.
The volunteers were then shown pictures of faces with different emotional expressions. Generally, when an angry or fearful face is shown, there is increased activity in an area of the brain called the amygdala. It serves as an alarm to activate the body in times of danger.
But this time, instead of just a picture of a face, below some of the photos was a selection of words to choose from to describe the emotion shown on the face. When the volunteers were asked to pick the word that described the feeling on the face, there was less response in the amygdala. Instead, there was more activity in an area of the brain that helps to process emotions.
That just goes to show that talking about your feelings does help. So don't hesitate to share your problems with friends and loved ones. And don't forget the other part to that old saying ---- "joy shared is joy doubled"!
- Rochelle Gordon
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