Sticks and stones may break my bones: No Name-Calling Week debunking this myth Continue reading on Examiner.com: Sticks and stones may break my bones

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” As children, many a well-intended adult attempted to soothe our tears with this rhyme; but even then we knew that it wasn’t true. Words hurt and in fact, they hurt a lot! For centuries, the long-lasting, physical and emotional effects of bullying have been grossly underestimated, but several new studies finally expose the damage that these verbal assaults cause.

In one such study, “Empathy Gaps for Social Pain: Why People Underestimate the Pain of Social Suffering” currently featured in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2011), it was found that most people fail to realize the consequences of social trauma ...... click here for the rest of the story