"Friendship makes prosperity more shining,and lessens adversity by dividing and sharing it." (Cicero)
Well it’s
official, words really can hurt us. Lisa Raffensperger’s recent article in
the NewScientist,
“Words can never hurt me?”, confirms what most people already know, that
taunting and cruel words actually hurt us in a physical way as well as
psychological way. (Raffensperger: 2012, 37). Researchers like Naomi
Eisenberger at the University of California have discovered areas of the brain
– the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) to be precise – surges with
activity when we are physically hurt. As Eisenberger notes, ‘this is an
important part of the “pain network”, determining how upsetting we find an
injury’. The more distressing we find an
injury, basically the more the dACC lights up.
Does our
brain and body react to insults and social rejection as much as physical pain?
It seems so. Researchers, Ethan Kross at the University of Michigan and Nathan
DeWalll of the University of Kentucky, found that the parts of the brain’s
sensory centres reflect similar physical discomfort as a result of a wound, as
that of heartbreak. In other words, ‘heartache can literally hurt’. Some
people, on the other hand, are more resilient and are able to deal with
emotional upsets more pragmatically and take setbacks in their stride. Young
people who have experienced more traumas in their early years tend to have a
more heightened sensitivity to emotional upsets which continues most of their
lives and these people feel more physical pain than others.
Adolescents,
particularly, can be sensitive to a whole range of social emotional issues and
to social rejection. Psychiatrists believe that as the brain of a young person
is still developing, it has a more exaggerated response to any perceived
slights or injustices. This will come as no ground-breaking news to most
parents of teenagers.
Is there
anything we can do to alleviate this type of pain? The answer, luckily, is a
resounding ‘yes’. Giving emotional support and comfort to those people
experiencing painful social rejection can ease the physical pain felt,
according to the researchers. As parents and educators we can:
·
Support
young people through difficult emotional times and surprisingly it helps us too
become more resilient to setback in our own lives
·
Listening
empathetically to our students when they share emotional upsets
·
Acknowledging
the upset and offer advice if your child
asks for it
·
Comfort
young people in times of need and
suggest some strategies with other friends; and
·
Seek
medical help if necessary, some short term medication may assist – even panadol
has been found to help reduce the effects of psychological pain.
Bibliography
Raffensperger, L. (2012). Words can never hurt me? NewScientist. No2893, December 1,
pp37-39
Karon Graham
