Boast if you must, but only in the Lord

(from National Institute of Health)

What do you do when someone just goes on and on

about his or her accomplishments? 

Do you sit through it all while nodding and smiling

“appropriately,” or do you begin quoting biblical

passages such as these:  And Mary said: “My soul

glorifies the Lord.”   (Luke 1:46)  In God we make

our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. Selah (Psalm 44:8)  My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.  (Psalm 34:2)  Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”  (1 Corinthians 1:31)

Before judging your “me, myself and I” companion too harshly, consider these results from a recent study on self-disclosure.  Harvard University researchers Diana Tamir and Jason Mitchell found that “self-disclosure was strongly associated with increased activation in brain regions that form the mesolimbic dopamine system, including the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area.”  Translation (courtesy of MSN.com): Bragging Brings You  As Much Pleasure As Sex.

In fact, Wikipedia reports that “every reward that has been studied increases the level of dopamine

transmission in the brain,” and that dopamine has been found to play “a major role in the brain system that is responsible for reward-driven learning.”  Disclosing information about the self is therefore intrinsically rewarding – so much so that “individuals were willing to forgo money to disclose about the self.”

Resources

http://bible.cc/psalms/34-2.htm

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/05/01/1202129109.abstract

http://living.msn.com/love-relationships/the-married-chick-blog-post?post=eeb31b70-c0a3-444e-80be-f50e69c5ff6c

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopaminergic_pathways

Copyright May 15, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved