Most of us take words for granted. We use them largely, without too much thought, as a means to communicate. We learn language very early and it quickly becomes something akin to breathing. It’s a marvelous tool to be sure and is one of the key differences between humans and other species. Words, however, have far more impact on our lives than most of us tend to realize.
In my study of linguistics I came to realize just how much more. While it is true that words, in their most elemental form, are simply a series of phonetic sounds represented in written form by symbols, they also carry meaning and connotation and this is where the power lies. It is because of this that words can be and are causal in nature. In other words, words cause things. Things like feelings, emotions, actions, reactions, events and more. And yet, given this power of words, we often use them with little consideration.
I’d like to briefly examine how different it can be when we begin to use words more consciously. In order to do that, we need to have a look at some of the effects, both intrinsic and extrinsic, that words are capable of producing.
When directed outward toward others, the impact of words is one of the most powerful forces on earth. The meaning can be something as benign (but useful) as, “Please pass me the salt.” The meaning can have immense positive impact. For example –
“I love you”
“I appreciate you”
“Congratulations, you just won the lottery!”
Or dreadfully negative impact from words like –
“I hate you.”,
“You make me sick.”
“I’m going to kill you.”
“You’re wrong and I am right.”
Words have been responsible for some of the greatest messages ever conveyed as well as some of the most destructive. Contrast the words used by Buddha and Hitler. Both used words to produce massive results yet those results were vastly different.
The impact of the words we choose is not only external. The words we choose to communicate with ourselves internally are equally as powerful. When we use negative words like –
“I don’t deserve this.”
“I’m not good, tall, pretty, outgoing, smart enough.”
“I’m so stupid.”
we place ourselves in negative emotional states which, in turn, begins attracting exactly the things required to make those statements true. Our consciousness is on a negative frequency thus attracting the things that are on the same or a similar frequency.
Conversely, when we use words like –
“Life is beautiful.”
“Today will be a great day.”
“I am happy.”
we position our emotional states and our energy in such a way that we attract the same. The universe is a great mirror that simply gives back to us what we show it. Think of days when it seemed like everything that could go wrong did. And days when everything you did turned out right. What was the difference? Your thoughts – the words you were using to communicate with yourself. If you examine it closely, you will find, without exception, that this was the case.
It has long been understood by both linguists and psychologists that words have a dramatic impact on the nervous system; both that of the speaker as well as the listener. Whether those words are part of our internal dialog or spoken aloud, the effect remains. Words have an effect on our heart rate, blood pressure, and as was demonstrated in the famous water experiments conducted by Dr. Masura Emoto, even on the cells and molecules of our bodies. In these experiments, words were taped to the exterior of containers containing water molecules. Words like, “Thank you” and “I love you”. The crystals were then frozen and produced spectacular, beautiful crystals displaying cohesive patterns. Conversely, when negative words such as “I hate you” and “You make me sick” were attached to the containers, the frozen water molecules displayed incoherent patterns that were anything but beautiful and geometric. Considering that our bodies are made up of over 70% water, imagine the impact words have on our physiology.
So as you go through each day, be constantly aware of the words you use, both internally and externally. You can choose words that support and encourage or words that denigrate and hurt. The choice is always yours and choosing wisely will make all the difference.
~Edward G. Dunn
Check out the Happiness 2.0 Podcast – https://podcast.edwardgdunn.com/
