Complaining Actually Makes Your Brain Shrink (and Your Heart Sink)
We all need a good vent now and then – but when complaining becomes a habit, it starts doing more harm than good.
Constant complaining doesn’t just affect your mood, it physically changes your brain and body. Repeated negativity releases stress hormones and even shrinks the part of your brain responsible for problem-solving. In other words, wellbeing and complaining simply can’t coexist.
Complaining about your partner, your boss, your finances, or your neighbours might feel like release, but it’s more like a loop you get stuck in. Just like a bad habit or addiction, it wires your brain to keep repeating it.
Article: Neurons that fire together, wire together.
There’s a big difference between the occasional vent with a friend to help you get a healthier perspective on your problem, and complaining for the sake of it. Complaining beds down pathways in your brain which leads to more complaining. Like a dog chasing its tail, it doesn’t lead anywhere!
The neurons in your brain learn to predict the reoccurrence of negative stimuli. The brain likes to work efficiently and lays down new pathways for a new habit to make it easier for you next time. It doesn’t know if this new activity is good or bad, in fact the brain doesn’t care – it’s just doing what you’re guiding it to do.
How Complaining Rewires Your Brain for Negativity.
Article/Video: Complaining Has No Good Ending
Jack Canfield is author of the Chicken Soup of the Soul series of books. He says that frequently complaining actually rewires your brain in a way that makes it even easier and more natural to complain.
He also provides a way out of this destructive loop and his video is worth watching.
“Thankfulness is the direct opposite of complaining. It is much easier to stop complaining when you are genuinely thankful for all of your life’s blessings. No matter who you are or where you find yourself, there is always something to be grateful for.”
Read the article here which includes a 7 minute video
What Happens to Your Brain When You Complain – includes a 7 minute video.
Podcast: What Can A Complaining Detox Do For You?
Patsy Lennon in her podcast “The Space for Magic” says that complaining keeps us from receiving the reality of our situation and keeps us stuck, away from the truth of ourselves or our lives. When you stop complaining, you are releasing resistance to the many blessings that could otherwise be available to you.
She offers resources and advice on a detox from complaining. Complaining includes the things you say about your life in general, as well as the hard time you give yourself about not doing your workout, not getting that project completed on time, or eating too much/not right.
“When you become super conscious of the complaints you have, you find that the person or thing you complain about the most is yourself.”
Brain Research: The Hippocampus Shrinks
When you complain, you’re invoking the stress response and your brain releases cortisol to put you on high alert as a protective measure. You’re placing yourself into a flight-fright-fight state which is only meant for short bursts when your survival is at stake, not when you’re going about your normal everyday living.
Through MRI scans, research has shown that long-term stress and exposure to the hormones produced during stress (mainly cortisol), will shrink the hippocampus. The hippocampus has an important role in memory, motivation, problem solving and critical thinking. Interestingly, it is also the first part of the brain to be damaged by Alzheimer’s Disease.
New Studies of Human Brains Show Stress May Shrink Neurons.
Question…
What is your very bottom line reason for complaining? Is it because you want to be heard, you’re afraid of moving forward or it’s become a habit? Has complaining ever resulted in a positive outcome for you?
The good news is, if you’re a constant complainer, it’s never too late to make a change and when you’re armed with the right information, you can make different choices starting today.
Challenge: For the next 24 hours, stop any complaint – no whingeing, moaning or complaining to others or to yourself. What have you got to lose? See what happens and I’d love to hear from you about what you discovered!
With love, Gina Kasmas
#verywellthankyou