Kick The Complaining Habit

Everyone Complains From Time To Time, But Did You Know That It Could Be Damaging Your Health?

- Taryn Das Neves

It’s a usual Monday in the office. Colleagues have a cup of much-needed caffeine in hand and… everyone’s complaining. About the traffic in the morning, the chilly weather, failed weekend plans, or the work load that’s accumulated on desks. Jump forward to the end of the day and you’re finally home with loved ones, but what are you talking about? You’re grumbling again – about the co-worker who makes your work life more difficult, about kids refusing to eat their dinner... Sound familiar? Just stop and think about how much you’ve whinged today.

Did you know that constant complaining, and focusing on the negative and life’s chaos has a physical impact on your brain? As a muscle, your brain can adapt and rewire itself to work in ways that are useful.

For example, repetitive activities like knitting or throwing a ball become easier the more you practise. Impulses travel through nerve endings to the brain, and when you repeat a behaviour, the brain recognises this and moves the synapses between the nerve endings closer together, allowing the flow of information to move faster. Makes sense, right? Now here’s where complaining comes in: your brain does exactly the same thing with your thoughts. Daniella Rafaely, a psychology lecturer at Monash South Africa says, ‘The brain’s ability to adapt to new situations and experiences by strengthening certain neural pathways and maximising their efficiency is a survival strategy that has stood us in good stead as a species over millennia. However, this ability, known as experience-dependent neuroplasticity, has its downsides too.’

HOW COMPLAINING AFFECTS YOUR HEALTH

Set to default