Don't say it, don't say it!

Our brain likes to take things literally, but in its own way: When you hear "Bali", you think of your last Bali vacation and the happiness hormones push the corners of your mouth upwards - unless you broke up a marital dispute on the white dream beach and/or stepped into a sea urchin at full speed. Then your brain sparks "damminochmal" or "ouch @#!~!£*ø?ÿ&}{@%#", while others think "marvelous". Certain words can activate our happiness and pain memory as verbal stimuli. Psychologists at the University of Jena have proven this in a study. For example, most people who hear the word "syringe" already feel the pain before the doctor stabs them.
What generates happiness or pain and disgust is very individual: at the moment, for example, there are plenty of environmentalists, presidents and engineers who wince in pain at the word "BP". Shell, on the other hand, makes the happiness hormones bubble. Even less topical terms cause leaps of joy or pronounced suffering, depending on the person: "Jena" (Jönö), for example, "federal government", "high heels", "bikini", "mother-in-law", "family visit" or "wisdom tooth". With the latter, the oral surgeon is already planning his next vacation in Bali (especially if the tooth is infected), non-dentists feel a tugging sensation in their cheek, hear the drill howling and the sickening crack of the needle slowly penetrating the gums ...
Are you feeling sick too?

When work hurts
Work" is also a term that evokes a wide variety of feelings: one person only needs to talk about it to get their endorphins going (this is common, mostly suit wearers), the second hates their job with a passion and tries to avoid any pain by doing nothing (the rule). The third simply does his job (rare). If you talk to these three about "vacations", the first two act indifferent - while the first doesn't know how he is supposed to survive the time off work and calls the hotel to see if they have WLAN, and the second tries to hide the fact that he has only "worked" towards this time of year with all his idleness. The third person is publicly looking forward to a well-earned vacation - and receives a load of nasty looks from the boss (of the first category). "You can't be looking forward to something like that!"
Run away from leggings
If you want to learn to assess people better, you need to find out how their brain stem works. A quick test: How do you feel about "leggings"? How do you feel about "men's swimming trunks"? And what do you feel when you hear "round of 16"? It's okay, it's okay. I didn't mean to offend you.
The Jena researchers can also explain why the word-controlled sensation of pain makes biological sense: painful experiences are potential threats to life and limb. They are stored in our memory so that we avoid similar dangers. So run away when you hear (or see) "leggings". When it comes to "men's swimming trunks", please buy the right ones (no swimming shorts! no thong!). And if the boss wants something from you, say the word that will paralyze him for hours: "Vacation"!