Verbal abuse (insult) and your health
Health & Fitness By KEMI ILORI
Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Everybody hates insult. What is it in our system that makes us reject insult so badly? What does insult do to us physically, mentally and otherwise? Man started communicating with words about two hundred thousand years ago.

Words are now powerful tools which influence our actions. Why are people willing to kill because they were insulted? How do we handle insult in such a way as to control our emotions when we feel we are being insulted?

Verbal abuse is generally referred to as insult by the common man in Nigeria . It usually involves the use of words that impact on the other person negatively.

Verbally abusive, includes angry outbursts, screaming rages, and name-calling. Verbal abuse often includes blaming, brainwashing, and intimidation. Verbal abuse is extremely manipulative, as insults are often disguised as caring comments.

Facial expression is the most important of all social communication "instruments." When the words don't match the expression, trust the expression. Verbal abuse can be overt or covert, but it is always about controlling and manipulating the victim. Most times, it involves the use of words to deliberately inflict pain and hurt in the victim. At other times, jokes or ordinary comments can be construed as insult by the addressed person. People of low self esteem tend to take themselves too seriously and feel abused at the slightest joke.

How does verbal insult affect an adult? When someone upsets you by saying something you consider to be an insult, the body reacts to it as a stress situation. Verbal abuse is an acute external stressor agent. The brain is the first part of the body that processes the whole experience.

1) Long and Short – term memory: If somebody abuses you whilst you were trying to buy a couple of things. You will probably forget some of the things you were trying to get. This is because the brain will suppress activity in areas in the front of the brain concerned with Short – term memory, concentration, inhibition and rational thought. People are also able to engage in fisticuffs and fight or do other unreasonable things when they have been insulted.

As you can see, the verbal words’ effect on the brain would have made the person less rational in their thoughts and to loose inhibition as well. During that brief time, the person is not able to handle intellectual tasks or complex social activities.

At the same time, an area of the brain called the hippocampus is signaled by neurotransmitters in the brain. What the hippocampus does is to store the emotionally loaded experience in Long – term memory!! This is why nobody forgets an insult easily. Infact people get freshly annoyed when they remember the event (thanks to the hippocampus). It is advisable not to expose yourself to undue verbal abuse. It is difficult for the brain to let go off the experience. You really have to work hard at it to let it go. People who are in abusive relationships often suffer health problems as a result of the biological effect of such liaisons. This is common experience in some marital relationships.

2) Health consequences: The gastro-intestinal system is probably the second part of the body that readily responds to verbal insult. If some has just been insulted at a party, it is most likely that if the person is offered food to eat, he will refuse. Why? Because at that particular time, he most probably will not be able to stomach the food.

But it does not end there. Other long term gastro-intestinal consequences of verbal abuse are, peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, etc.

Verbal insult can actually make the recipient to feel physical pain without being touched. Researchers are trying to get to find out how and why this happens. They have discovered that personality type is a major factor in this respect. Sleep disturbances and sexual dysfunction, can also be experienced by people who have been deeply affected by verbal insult.

The more serious effect of verbal abuse is found in people who already have health problems. One of such is in people with heart disease. The excitement and stress from such an event, can cause an increase in the pumping action and rate of the heart, whilst causing the arteries to constrict, thereby restricting blood flow to the heart.

A 2002 study suggested that such actions may be responsible for serious cardiac events like heart rhythm abnormalities, heart attacks and even death! Other less serious health conditions like high blood pressure, may be aggravated by verbal insult. Sustained verbal abuse affects the immune system by suppressing it and makes the recipient more susceptible to illness. All these effects are a function of how resilient we are.

Neutralizing the effect of verbal insults: Whilst we are quite lucky in Nigeria that we do not experience the perpetual degradation of racism, we still have some peculiar problems. A lot of sub-ordinates are working in extremely abusive environments which are accepted and even considered the norm in some instances.

How do they survive this environment without developing ulcers or irritable bowels? One of the most fundamental protections is to develop a thick skin to verbal insult and see it as the other person’s personality defect. The second is to be calm and realize that by allowing the verbal abuse to have effect; you would be giving victory to your tormentor.

Thirdly, try to objectively analyze how you found yourself in that particular situation. Personally accept your own part of the blame even if you are too proud to express it. The personal therapy will help you to cope with the experience.

Fourthly, make a conscious effort to delete the whole experience from your brain. Anytime you are beginning to remember it – Stop yourself! If it is a work situation, become an invaluable staff by excelling at your job whilst you change the job at the slightest opportunity! On the other hand, if you are on the giving end, make sure you do not insult anybody except if they truly deserve it. In so doing, give full measure, because it is therapeutic (make sure you are at a safe distance).