Why does naming a feeling help?
· Source: Lieberman et al., Psychological Science, 2007
“Bad” isn’t quite a feeling yet. In a brain-scan study, putting a feeling into a word quieted the brain’s response to upsetting images.
Why does naming a feeling help?
Naming it quieted the brain’s response. People in a brain scanner looked at upsetting images. When they put a word to the emotion in each one, the amygdala, a part of the brain that reacts to threat, responded less than when they handled the images in other ways. One word first, then the story. Skip “bad” and “fine”. Pick one exact word for how you feel, like tired, hurt or relieved. Then say what happened. Find the word. Then tell the day. Halflight writes both down under today’s date.