The Media
How Complaining Physically Rewires Your Brain To Be Anxious And Depressed.
- By Featured Article
- On 25th June, 2019
- In the media
We all know a Debby-downer who is perpetually negative and tends to bring everyone down with them. For these people, life is always against them and they can never seem to catch a break. They eventually find themselves alone since their negativity can be physically exhausting to be around.
Everybody complains once in a while, especially in our overly negative society. And for the most part, Dr. Robin Kowalski, professor of psychology at Clemson University, insists that complaining is perfectly normal (1).
Archetypes Of Negativity
Not everyone with a negative state of mind experiences and expresses their worldview in the same way. Just like every other personality trait, pessimism has its variations.
Here are the three most common types of complainers:
Venters: Venters are people who just want to be listened to. They typically look for someone to listen to their complaints but are quick to shut down solutions, even when it’s good advice.
Sympathy Seekers: Everyone’s come across one of these before. These kinds of complainers always one-up your misery. They always, always have it worse than you and are quick to see the fault in situations and others.
Chronic Complainers: These kinds of complainers do something researchers call “ruminating”, which means to obsessively think and complain about a problem. Instead of feeling relaxed after complaining, they actually become worried and anxious from the act.
