In recent health news the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), shared its findings about the harmful affects on the brain posed by chronic negativity. Research shows that people having a habitual negative disposition are at a higher risk for suffering from memory and comprehension problems later in life, including a higher incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, compared to people with a positive disposition and outlook on life.
Scientists and doctors examined the brain scans of patients with an admitted history of negativity in their thinking, feeling, and reacting processes, along with examining the brain scans of patients with noted histories of optimism and positive thinking, looking for any differences in the scans between these two groups if there were any. What researchers found was that there were higher instances of physical and physiological functioning differences that could be seen in the brain scans of the chronically negative versus the instances of physical and physiological changes seen in the brain scans of the chronically positive.
It was noted that in the scans of those who habitually engaged in negative thinking, the structure of the brain had actually been changed and that physiological functions had also been altered. Scientists can now conclude that these structural and physiological changes are as of a result of the exposure of the brain to the chemicals that are produced in the body when we think and feel in a negative fashion. Long term exposure to the chemicals produced by negative emotions changes how the brain naturally functions and the structure of the brain is also changed by parts of the brain that become inactive with chronic negativity.
The frontal lobe of the brain is where our perceptive, reasoning, and emotional powers are located. In a brain that is properly functioning, this area which is located at the forefront of our brains is large and very active. The chemicals that are produced by negativity slows and renders some portions of the frontal lobe inactive, this area will physically become smaller as the inactivity grows. Over time, problems with activating the full area of this frontal section of the brain may develop. Researchers believe that this lack of activity and the resulting shrinkage of mass to the frontal lobe along with a brain that is continually awash in the chemicals produced by negativity leads to a weakened and vulnerable brain that is more prone to the development of psychiatric disorders and disease. Scientists believe this is how issues such as diminished comprehension, memory loss, depression, and diseases such as Alzheimer’s begin in the brain.
A common fear that many of us share is the fear of losing our ability to remember things as we get older. We are also afraid there may be a time when we no longer recognize the people we love. Some of us have personal experience with the anguish caused by Alzheimer’s in having to witness and care for a parent or a loved one who has been stricken with this cruel disease. We hope it never happens to us. The news that chronic negativity causes us to be more susceptible to the development of these memory and comprehension issues later in life is scary.
What can you do if up to this point you have indulged yourself in wallowing in negativity most of the time? Can you undo the harm that chronic negativity has already caused to your brain? The answer is yes, but it will require some work on your part. There is no magic pill you can take to reverse the toll that negativity has already taken on your brain. The reversal of the harmful affects that chronic negativity has had on your brain is only possible through concentrated efforts to make the changes the health of your brain and entire body so badly needs.
Beginning an exercise program is a great move in the right direction because exercise helps the body to produce healthy chemicals in the body. These healthy chemicals act as a coat of protection for the brain against diseases. At the same time you need to retrain your brain to think and react in a positive fashion which will also help your body produce these healthy chemicals. Plentiful low cost resources are widely available to help you in retraining yourself to look at and react to the things in your life in a more positive manner. The stubbornly negative may find they need the professional assistance of a certified hypnotist to help them retrain how they think and react to people, situations and experiences in their lives. If you have tried hard on your own to adopt a more positive attitude and outlook on life but are not really seeing any changes, seek out a trained hypnotist. Better still find a personal fitness trainer who is also a certified hypnosis trainer and retrain your body and brain to be at there highest level of fitness and health.
Chronic negativity changes the physical and physiological functioning of the brain making us more susceptible to psychiatric disorders and diseases than those people who are chronically positive. I do not really need to tell you how much that will affect your overall living experience and it may even shorten your life as well. I am sure you would rather be a chronically positive and happy person who experiences the best out of life, than someone who always has a dark cloud over their head. Choose to be positive and you will be.
