Our bodies are made up of around 60 percent water. The average person speaks about 7,000 words in a day. At first, one fact may not seem to have anything to do with the other. But what if I told you that the words coming out of your mouth and the water you’re sipping when chatting with your team around the watercooler has scientifically been proven to affect their cellular structure? And, in so doing, causes them to either return to their desks feeling inspired…or hopping onto social media looking for an alternative way to get a dopamine burst—if they can muster the energy to do so at all?
That’s right. What I’m about to share just might make you want to swallow your words.
A scientist by the name of Dr. Masaru Emoto performed several experiments where he’d take samples of water from the same source and then tape either a positive or negative message on the bottoms of the petri dishes, after which he’d immediately freeze them. He also performed this experiment by comparing what happened when he played heavy metal music versus classical pieces by Mozart. And here’s what he discovered:
The petri dishes associated with words such as “love & gratitude” and “thank you” froze into what looked like perfectly symmetrical snowflakes. On the other hand, words such as “disgust” and “you fool” resulted in formations that appeared murky, grotesque, and almost like the eyes of a prehistoric predator. I’m sure you can guess what effect the two types of music had.
Naysayers might conclude that these findings weren’t due to words but to the vibrations caused by the blare of an electric guitar—which would cause the water to stir more than the melodic sounds of a symphony right before being flashfrozen. If this is what you’re thinking, try the following experiment and see…or feel the effects for yourself.
Read (or say aloud) these phrases:
- Why did you condition for this?
- Our P&L does not look good.
- I can’t wait to be done with this client!
Now read (or say aloud) these phrases:
- What created this condition?
- We have an opportunity to increase our profit.
- I’m about to close a loan that has taught me valuable skills for the future!
How did your body react? Did you find yourself holding your breath while reading the first list and then exhaling when you read the second, despite the information being the same? Now imagine having those words spoken to (or at) you. What would your cells look like under a microscope?
In addition to Dr. Emoto’s study of the effects of words on water, several other studies have shown that integrating—not blasting—positive, upbeat music into the workplace improves employee engagement and collaboration. For instance, Cornell University compared the effects of playing no music, hard rock, and songs with steady beats such as, “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Yellow Submarine” in office settings and found that the upbeat music increased productivity by one-third!
So while we may not have control over interest rates and market fluctuations, we can cultivate a healthier, more harmonious work environment by simply using supportive language, encouraging others in the office to do the same—which includes refraining from gossip, reading negative news stories splayed on their computer’s homepage, and complaining about certain clients—and perhaps playing pleasant music or positive self-talk programs in the background instead.
With this in mind, leaders can choose to have synergetic teams or sullen teams…just by watching what comes out of our mouths.
Use This Word to Decrease Defensiveness & Promote Productivity in the Workplace