M·03
Mind & Body
Name It to Tame It
Putting a feeling into words reduces amygdala activity and recruits the regulating prefrontal regions.
- Evidence
- solid
- Topic
- Mind
- Things to do
- 3
- Read
- 1 min
solidHow strong is the evidence?
Good evidence behind it, but fewer people have checked it independently.
- Lieberman et al., Psychological Science, 2007
- Kircanski, Lieberman & Craske, 2012 (exposure therapy)
Why it works
Naming shifts the experience from raw affect to a represented object. It works better the more specific the word — “I'm resentful” does more than “I'm stressed”.
What to do about it
- Write one sentence naming the feeling precisely. Precision is the active ingredient; build the vocabulary.
- Do it before responding to the thing that caused it, not after.
- Use it on other people too — labelling their emotion aloud calms it the same way.
Where people go wrong
Describing the situation instead of the feeling. “This is a disaster” is not a label.
Where this fits in your day
When it's hot
Name the feeling in one precise word. Then ask what you'd tell a friend.
Read next
- Sleep Sets the Emotional BaselineOne night of deprivation raises amygdala reactivity to negative images by about 60% and weakens the prefrontal control over it.proven
- Reframe, Don't SuppressReinterpreting a situation reduces the emotion at low cost. Suppressing the expression leaves the emotion intact and adds physiological and memory costs.proven
- Rumination Is Not Problem-SolvingRepetitively going over a problem in the first person deepens the mood and produces no solutions.solid
- 10 / 10 / 10How will I feel about this in ten minutes, in ten months, and in ten years?solid