It’s a word we dislike from the earliest stages of life, one that releases dozens of stress-producing hormones and neurotransmitters into our bodies. In fact, the word “no” is not only negative in connotation, but also has an undesirable impact on those who say it, hear it or witness it in various forms.
Surprisingly, just seeing the word for less than a second instantly hinders logic, reason, language processing and communication. When increased to a whole list of negative words, anxious or depressed people feel worse, damaging fundamental elements that normalize memory, feelings and emotions.1
Imagine the impact this can have on your LifeWave business and personal relationships. Saying “no” with even the slightest frown releases more stress chemicals in your brain and the listener’s brain, increasing nervousness and irritability. 2 Most importantly, this negative interaction ultimately weakens cooperation and trust.
On the flipside, optimistic words can turn negative thoughts into positive affirmations. But the brain must first overcome its natural tendency to ignore or barely respond to positive words and thoughts. 3
To conquer this, it’s recommended to repetitively and willfully produce as many positive thoughts as possible. To help business and personal relationships thrive, generate at least five positive messages for each negative expression.
Here’s some great food for thought: choose words carefully and say them slowly. This enables you to interrupt the brain’s inclination for negativity. Repeating positive words like love, peace and compassion lower your physical and emotional stress. 4 You’ll feel better, have a longer life, and foster deeper, more trusting relationships at home and at work.
1 Some assessments of the amygdala role in suprahypothalamic neuroendocrine regulation: a minireview. Talarovicova A, Krskova L, Kiss A. Endocr Regul. 2007 Nov;41(4):155-62.
2 Hariri AR, Tessitore A, Mattay VS, Fera F, Weinberger DR. The amygdala response to emotional stimuli: a comparison of faces and scenes. Neuroimage. 2002 Sep;17(1):317-23.
3 Kisley MA, Wood S, Burrows CL. Looking at the sunny side of life: age-related change in an event-related potential measure of the negativity bias. Psychol Sci. 2007 Sep;18(9):838-43.
4Genomic counter-stress changes induced by the relaxation response. Dusek JA, Otu HH, Wohlhueter AL, Bhasin M, Zerbini LF, Joseph MG, Benson H, Libermann TA. PLoS One. 2008 Jul 2;3(7):e2576.