Study Looks at the Brain’s Reaction to Verbalizing Emotions
August 17th, 2009 |
A GoodTherapy.org News Headline
There is a distinctly relieving aspect to coming clean about one’s emotions, whether it’s within the safety and confidentiality of a therapist’s office or simply in the presence of a friend. Seeking to understand why verbally identifying emotions has such a strong effect, a research team at the University of California at Los Angeles recently conducted a study that made use of brain scanning technology during a verbalization exercise. Participants were shown images of emotionally expressive faces, and were asked to either state a corresponding emotion or a gender-specific name to match the face. Those who produced an emotion were shown to experience new activity in a portion of the prefrontal cortex, while the emotionally volatile amygdala lost activity intensity. The researchers hope their findings will allow for a better understanding of how psychotherapy and influences the brain
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4 comments so far
i’ve heard that people with an injury to the prefrontal cortex are unable to empathize and sometimes display really cruel and sadistic behavior.. don’t know if this is true…but i could see a connection here.
Anyone have more knowledge they could share about this?
Just being able to get it all off your chest can literally take the weight of the world off of your shoulders. For me writing helps too but saying it out loud really addresses the problem for me and I have an easier time of working things out.
I agree Kyle. To be able to verbalize how you feel, you have to think about it. Verbalization makes you bring the emotions to the surface and the relief at having said something that’s lain buried a long time is immense. Writing does that too though I think hearing the words has more impact.
No wonder talk therapy continues to work for so many.