Writing can change how we think
Rhetoric has always been the study of persuasion: changing what we think. But an understanding of the mind and brain show that writing can also chane how we think.
As cognitive scholars claim, writing is a form of thinking. Thus, the act of writing is a different way of thinking.
Writing can alter emotions. There are enormous implications for mental health applications here--as psychologists and mental health professionals already recognize. Alice Brand writes, “The capacity of writing to restore emotional equilibrium and effect healthy change is unparalleled.” Writing has been shown to lower anxiety and lessen depression.
Writing can alter a person's perception of reality. Philosophers, psychologists, and even rhetoricians generally agree that, while there is an objective reality, we cannot experience it directly. So much of what we understand to be “reality” is more our interpretation or perception of reality. Writing, as a way to change perceptions, can change a person's perception of reality, and thus their entire world.
Rhetoric has always been the study of persuasion: changing what we think. But an understanding of the mind and brain show that writing can also chane how we think.
As cognitive scholars claim, writing is a form of thinking. Thus, the act of writing is a different way of thinking.
Writing can alter emotions. There are enormous implications for mental health applications here--as psychologists and mental health professionals already recognize. Alice Brand writes, “The capacity of writing to restore emotional equilibrium and effect healthy change is unparalleled.” Writing has been shown to lower anxiety and lessen depression.
Writing can alter a person's perception of reality. Philosophers, psychologists, and even rhetoricians generally agree that, while there is an objective reality, we cannot experience it directly. So much of what we understand to be “reality” is more our interpretation or perception of reality. Writing, as a way to change perceptions, can change a person's perception of reality, and thus their entire world.
Using our understanding of mirror neurons, we can use writing to practice our way to success. We currently understand that mirror neurons can allow us to practice something visually and become better at it. For example, a study had one group of people lift weights; they gained muscle. The second group visualized lifting weights; they gained almost as much muscle as the first! Writing, as a powerful way to visualize, can be a method to create success in ways heretofore unseen.
We know that the brain is plastic--that it can change and create new neural pathways. Using our understanding of brain plasticity, we can “rewire” the brain, literally altering it. Writing can play an enormous role in rewiring the brain. |
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