Oprah-com featured an article recently called “The Hidden Benefits of Anger, Cursing, and Negativity.”
It says that that being good is not always good – or good for you. Below are some of the summary points it makes (based on what researchers are saying). Can you guess which one of the statements I’m least fond of? Most fond of?
- Worst-case scenario brooding can make pessimists most likely to foresee and overcome potential and future problems.
- Using your favorite four-letter word at the right time can alleviate pain.
- Doodling can boost your mind’s ability to notice and remember mundane information by nearly 30 percent.
- In short bursts, dillydallying increases your overall productivity.
- Gossiping can solidify friendships and strengthen your moral compass – so long as you’re judicious about what you say and whom you say it to.
- Reacting with controlled anger rather than runaway anxiety releases less of the body’s stress hormone cortisol – too much of which as been linked to bone loss, depression, and obesity.
–Excerpted from Oprah.com
Maybe it’s just a matter of semantics, but the statement that produced the strongest twinge of skepticism for me was the first one about pessimism. Foresight and action may be favorable byproducts of someone seeing the worst-case scenario side of things. From an energetic standpoint, however, pessimism is dense, heavy, and vibrates at the level of a ball and chain. Hang out with a Debbie Downer and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Optimism on the other hand vibrates at a much higher frequencies (cycles per second), and in my experience, can lead to openings and creative solutions that are not as easily available when you’re worried or feeling pessimistic.
I’m not a big fan of the words “reacting” and “controlled” either. Statement #6 might work better for me if it used the word “feel.” As in to feel one’s rage without projecting it onto some one else (or judging it as good or bad). I prefer the word “respond” over the more contracting “react.” Responding implies fluidity, forward movement, and ownership, as in to take “response-ability.”
Cursing, as a way as a way to off-gas and release stress really works for me – again as long as it isn’t directed a someone, or used to avoid taking responsibility. A super juicy four-letter word can release emotional charge and move a lot of stuck energy.
How about you? After reading the article, what do you think?
Photo Credit: Google Images/Anne Taintor Collection
