Verbal Insults are Equivalent to a 'Mini Slap in the Face' Regardless of Context: New Study

Verbal insults have been part of human interaction since the dawn of time, according to available literature and historical evidence: even those that dates back to the time of the ancient Greeks, as well as symbolic gestures of early humans.

However, one key factor is evident that an offensive word or statement can have negative emotional effects to its recipient or even other people where the insults are not directed to.

This notion has been confirmed by a new study led by researchers from Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

In particular, the research team asserted that verbal insults can be become a "lexical mini-slap in the face" using electroencephalography (EEG) and recordings on skin conductance.

Verbal Communication

Humans are social animals who developed the ability to create, express, and discern symbolic interaction with another individual or a group.

These interactions involve various social stimuli, but verbal communication is one of the several elements that stands out among the rest.

While verbal communication can foster connection, they can also yield in various negative emotions including anxiety, sadness, anger, confusion, and among others due to verbal insults.

Since 2000s, there have been multiple studies regarding such area but limited data is available when it comes to explaining what truly happens to the receiver of the verbal insult.

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Verbal Insults and Emotional Health

In a new paper published in the journal Frontiers in Communication on Monday, July 18, the Dutch researchers claimed that there is only little understanding when it comes to the relation of verbal insults or offensive words to the emotional health to the recipient.

Dr. Marijn Struiksma, the study's co-author, explained insults have a significant impact since it threatens our self and our reputation; and this allowed the unique opportunity to conduct research about the relation between language and emotion.

Dr. Struiksma and her colleagues postulated that verbal insults and their emotional impacts are not linear.

This means that the effect of offensive remarks can yield either rapidly consecutive or overlapping effects, where some might be different based on the frequency of the insults.

Psycholinguistic Laboratory Experiment

The researchers came up with their conclusion by conducting a research design called psycholinguistic laboratory experiment where they used unnatural conditions to determine the mechanisms surrounding lexical insults and human emotions, as summarized by Medical News.

The said conditions where the experiment is shaped are the following:

Laboratory setting
No real human interactions
Statements from fictitious people

Using the mentioned methods earlier, EEG and skin conductance were applied to 79 female participants and were allowed to read the following statement repeatedly yet in a verbatim manner:

Linda is horrible
Linda is impressive
Linda is Dutch

While the test is generally not directed to any of the participants, the experiment yield that verbal insults can still get into a person, regardless of the scenario, even under the staged conditions.

With this, the methods produced a wave form measure at the human scalp; the researchers found that it was equivalent to "mini slaps in the face" although there were no actual physical slaps that occurred.