I don’t think it’s any secret that learning a new language has the effect of remapping the neurons of your brain, and we already know that we associate a lot with words, not just their meanings but what they mean to us.
I don’t think there’s been sufficient research in this area really but I also don’t think that’s enough in itself to downplay it as woo.
If the word “quest” doesn’t conjure images in your mind of a long winding journey with pitfalls and successes that eventually lands you in a place where you’ve achieved a goal and also changed as a person, maybe just use the word in your vocabulary that _does_ conjure those images and see if you feel the same way.
I don’t think there’s been sufficient research in this area really but I also don’t think that’s enough in itself to downplay it as woo.
If the word “quest” doesn’t conjure images in your mind of a long winding journey with pitfalls and successes that eventually lands you in a place where you’ve achieved a goal and also changed as a person, maybe just use the word in your vocabulary that _does_ conjure those images and see if you feel the same way.