Complaining Shrinks Your Brain

You lose cognitive abilities

Janice Tovey
2 min readNov 11, 2023

--

Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash

Important research findings from Stanford University show that stress and complaining literally act to physiologically peel neurons off the very important part of your brain called the hippocampus.

The part of your brain that is responsible for critical thought and intelligence begins to shrink.

In addition, it has been found that being complained to for 30 minutes or more can also be deleterious to your brain.

MRI’s have found connections between long term stress, negative thinking, complaining, and hormones that shrink the hippocampus.

A brain that is continuously exposed to stress hormones, negativity and complaining, often seen more frequently in depressed people, is a brain damaged by inflammation.

The hippocampus is very important.

The stress hormone cortisol attacks our neurons decreasing our ability to take in and process new information. Stress doesn’t have to be extreme. Lengthy low-grade stress can have the same effect.

It is so important to take good care of your brain during stressful times in your life.

You can practice relaxation techniques, develop coping strategies, and stay active to mitigate the effects of stress.

You can keep a watchful eye on negativity and complaining and build a practice of gratitude and positivity.

Your brain will thank you.

Janice Tovey 2023

--

--

Janice Tovey

My passion is writing. I also love reading, teaching, animals, nature, music, and humor. I am curious about everything and enjoy writing about all things.