Sober Synthesis

How Can Language Influence Our Thoughts, Emotions, and Behaviors?

• The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, also known as linguistic relativity, refers to the idea that the language a person speaks may influence their worldview, thought, and even how they experience and understand the world.
  • Language may focus our perception and attention on particular aspects of experience.
• Our brain keeps the score, our body is the scorecard – we don’t feel things in our brain, we feel them in our body.
  • Feelings (senses) are unconsciously perceived in our midbrain.
  • Feelings and emotions are not interchangeable words; when we create/identify an emotion with words (cognition), we are giving meaning to our sensory experience (feelings).

• For example, the ability to detect displeasure from a person’s face is universal. The words “angry” and “sad,” help us further distinguish what kind of displeasure we observe in a facial expression. 
• Some research suggests the influence of language is not limited to just developing a wider vocabulary for categorizing emotions. Language may coordinate our sensations into specific perceptions. 

• Language can influence mindset, our set of beliefs that shape how you make sense of the world and ourselves.
  • A growth mindset reinforces the fact that our abilities are malleable. Our brains can learn and change (neuroplasticity) in order to achieve emotional and behavioral growth, as well as improved physical health.
• A key feature of a growth mindset is to attach our motivation to the effort itself instead of the outcome. For example, “recovery is a journey, not a destination”.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment modality for anxiety and depression. However, the limitation of CBT is the absence or limited recognition of our body/non-verbal midbrain processing of sensory experience (feelings) and consequent emotional responses to those feelings. This is especially important with people who have a history of trauma. 
  • There is evidence that trauma impacts our language functioning (Broca’s area). This impact can also occur during flashbacks.

How language shapes the way we think | Lera Boroditsky | TED – YouTube

Linguistic Relativity: How Language Shapes Thought – YouTube

Sylvia-Mindset: Impact on Body and Behavior

Click to access The-Body-Keeps-the-Score-PDF.pdf

Proposed Questions for Thought/Sharing:

1. Did this information spark any curiosity and how?
2. Have you changed any habitual language/words to enhance your wellness and support your recovery?
3. Are there habitual language/words that you want to change to enhance your wellness and support your recovery?

Disclaimer

This summary is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed.