The Incredible Rice Experiment and the Power of Words

Earlier this year, a friend sent me an experiment involving talking to rice. The experiment claimed that talking in a mean way caused some rice to turn brown and rotten much quicker than talking nicely to other rice. I was skeptical but intrigued, and I always love doing experiments and object lessons with my kids. We gave it a try, and the results were incredible! 

In April, I cooked one batch of regular white rice, let it cool, and then split it up equally into 3 jars that were exactly the same. We labeled the jars mean, nice, and ignore. Then I set them down in a spot in our living room that isn't exposed to natural light or extreme temperatures. Then we waited. For six weeks, my kids and I talked to the jars every day (sometimes multiple times a day!). We didn't open the jars or shake them or do anything else except talk to them. To the nice jar, we took it to another room and said nice things to it ("You're so pretty!" "You're the best rice ever!" "You are wonderful!" "I love you!" "You're so nice!"). To the mean jar, we took it to another room and said mean things to it. Shockingly, my sweet and kind kids actually LOVED saying mean things to the mean jar. They thought it was hilarious! They would say things like "You are the worst rice ever!" "You stink." "You're mean." "I hate you." "You are dumb." I took the jars to another room to talk to them so the other jars wouldn't "overhear" what we were saying. To the ignore jar, I didn't want the fact that we walked around with the other two to affect the results, so we would pick up the "ignore" jar and take it to another room and then take it back. 

After only 3 weeks, there was quite a difference between the nice jar and the mean jar. The ignore jar looked pretty similar to the nice jar at this point. Then after 3 more weeks, we finished the experiment and noted that there was a huge difference between the nice and mean jars, and even the ignore jar looked more gray than the nice jar. The only thing we did differently was speak different words. Even the tone/cadence of our voices were the same (I told the kids to say the mean and nice things with an equal tone). The amount of time we spoke to them was the same. The room we took them to when speaking was the same. Everything was the same except the words. We learned a powerful lesson from the rice—one that I hope my kids will never forget.

Words have a profound impact on us, and this experiment proves it. If mean words spoken to rice can cause it to rot, what can mean words spoken to a human do to our souls and our hearts? Words can tear people down and bring destruction or build them up and bring life. Proverbs 12:18 says, "The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." and Proverbs 18:21 says, "The tongue has the power of life and death ..." We can speak words of life, truth, wisdom, and encouragement to others. It can be easy to be careless with ours words and say things we don't mean, but those words have a greater impact than we even know. The words can take root in someone's heart and grow either bitterness and hurt or life and healing in their heart. Our words can point others to the Lord and His truth. 

As we looked at the rotten rice, I asked my kids to think of times when others have said things to them that hurt. It's easy in our own lives to think of the negative, critical, hurtful things we've heard too, because those are the things that stick. And those things can shape us. They can root inside our hearts and impact the way we view the world and ourselves. I asked my kids to think of times when they've said things they didn't mean, whether it was gossip, talking bad about someone, telling a lie, or saying something mean to someone. We talked about how those words might have impacted that person or our relationships or trust, and how those words might cause things to rot, like the rotten rice. We prayed right then and asked God to help us speak His words and His truth. 

James 3:2; 9–11 says, "We all stumbled in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. ... With the tongue we praise the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be." Our tongues are a small part of our body that can have a huge impact on other people. We have an opportunity to allow God to help us tame our tongues and speak His messages and love to others! Human beings are made in the image of God and are much more valuable than rice! 

Ephesians 4:29 says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Even the jar that was ignored turned gray. It's not enough just to not say mean words. We can use our words to build others up, to declare God's truths, to spread His love, and to worship and praise our God! Not only do our words impact others, but the words we speak also impact our own hearts. Things we say out loud are what take root and grow in our hearts and our lives. It's important to note that it's not just spoken words that can be impactful: Our typed words can impact others (and ourselves!) too. It can be easy to think that we can hide behind a screen or phone and say whatever we want, including things that are hurtful or judgmental, but those words can affect others in big ways. 

I encourage you to do this experiment yourself in your home and let it be a powerful lesson about the power and impact of our words.