Why do we complain? Most people think complaining allows us to vent out emotions, making us feel better.
But according to science, there are serious flaws to that reasoning.
Here are 3 main reasons why complaining is bad for your health:
1) Negative thoughts rewire your brain for negativity
This is neuroscience 101 – Having a thought makes it easier for you to have that thought again.
Not only do repeated negative thoughts make it easier to think yet more negative thoughts, they also make it more likely that negative thoughts will occur to you just randomly walking down the street.
2) Hanging out with negative people rewires your brain to be negative
Not only do negative thoughts rewire your brain, negative people does much the same to your brain.
Steven Parton, an author and student of human nature, has this to say about surrounding yourself with negative people:
“When we see someone experiencing an emotion (be it anger, sadness, happiness, etc), our brain ‘tries out’ that same emotion to imagine what the other person is going through. And it does this by attempting to fire the same synapses in your own brain so that you can attempt to relate to the emotion you’re observing. This is basically empathy. It is how we get the mob mentality…. It is our shared bliss at music festivals. But it is also your night at the bar with your friends who love love love to constantly bitch.”
The key takeaway here is surround yourself with happy people who can rewire your brain towards positivity.
3) Positive thoughts are essential to good physical health
Complaining is not just bad for your mental health, it’s bad for your physical health as well.
This is what Steven Parton has to say about this:
“When your brain is firing off these synapses of anger, you’re weakening your immune system; you’re raising your blood pressure, increasing your risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes, and a plethora of other negative ailments.”
In Summary
So next time you feel like complaining, keep these 3 things in mind.
Quit the habit once and for all, and embrace positivity.
If you liked this article, you may also like:
- Happiness Hacks: 9 Simple Ways to Be Happier
- 5 Powerful Ways to Kickstart Your Day (According to Science)
- 4 Simple Rituals That Can Make You Happy (According to Neuroscience)
