I won't dispute your statements about physical actions, but i want to point out that listeners can't always control what effect effect words have on them. The punching balls metaphor - I can laugh it off now, because I am thousands of miles away, and there is no power dynamic between the two of us. What if you were my boss and you told me you want to punch me in the balls? I won't be able to laugh it off that easy. Or to give you another example, what if I said "I hate Russians" - you can tell yourself that it's just some random jerk on the Internet, has no impact on your life, just ignore it. Two years later I apply for a job at your company where you are the boss. Surely, you will remember that statement that you had blocked off and forgotten about for years.