Did you know that every time you have a thought your brain releases chemicals? That's how your brain works. You have a thought, your brain releases chemicals, an electrical transmission goes across your brain, and you become aware of what you're thinking. Thoughts are real and they have a real impact on how you feel and how you behave. Like a muscle, the thoughts you exercise become stronger and become the thoughts you rely on and believe, good or bad.
Every time you have an angry, unkind, hopeless, helpless, worthless, sad, or irritating thought, your brain releases negative chemicals that make you feel bad. Think about the last time you were mad. How does your body feel? When most people get angry, their muscles become tense, their hearts beat faster, their hands start to sweat, and they may even begin to feel a little dizzy. Your body reacts to every negative thought you have.
Every time you have a happy, hopeful, kind, optimistic, positive thought, your brain releases chemicals that make you feel good. Think about the last time you had a really happy thought. How did you feel inside your body? When most people are happy in their muscles relax, the hearts beat slower, their hands become dry, and they breathe slower. Your body also reacts to your good thoughts.
Mark George, M.D., when he worked at the National Institutes of Mental Health, demonstrated this phenomenon in an elegant study of brain function. He studied the activity of the brain in 10 normal women under three different conditions: when they were thinking happy thoughts, neutral thoughts, and sad thoughts. During the happy thoughts, the women demonstrated a cooling of the emotional brain and they felt better. During the sad thoughts, he noticed a significant increase in the emotional brain's activity, which is consistent with depression.
Be careful what you think about because your thoughts really do matter.