A few fun non-verbal tips and tricks to help you motivate yourself, find a new perspective, connect with a stranger and better understand the impact of facial expressions.
Once a month I gather my favourite studies and tips into one fascinating, interesting, unique little newsletter. My goal is to share facts with you that you can then share with others.
So then they say,
That’s so interesting!
And then you just made their day better. Woop Woop! And to make this even more fun, I turn these into trivia for you.
1. Feeling Tired? Research finds that _______ activates the part of your brain that is action-oriented, making you feel more motivated.
a. Leaning forward
b. Raising your eyebrows
c. Smiling
d. Frowning
It turns out that (a) leaning forward – even just an inch or two – can activate a specific part of your brain that prepares for action.
This means leaning forward can actually help give you a burst of energy and motivation. I tried this the other day on a very, very long video call when I needed to wake myself up…and it worked! Try this yourself.
2. Feeling overwhelmed? Need to get a new perspective? Try _____.
a. Smiling
b. Closing your eyes
c. Leaning back
d. Humming
The opposite of leaning forward (which gives you motivation) is (c) leaning back. The same researchers found that your brain is able to literally find mental distance from a stressor when you lean back.
Physical distance can create emotional distance. It’s the perfect cue to use when you need space or to feel less overwhelmed.
3. You can sync up your brain with a stranger without even being in the same room by ______.
a. Sleeping at the same time
b. Eating at the same time
c. Laughing at the same time
d. Playing a video game together
This fun fact should make gamers very happy. Brains can sync up without physical presence.
Researchers from the University of Helsinki demonstrated that the brains of people playing a (d) online game together were synchronized.
It seems that gaming is a unique type of social interaction and does sync up our brains with others. Miss your friends from another city? Consider gaming! It can give you some of the same social benefits as being in person!
4. A furrowed brow causes…
a. You to look less happy
b. You to feel less happy
c. Others to feel less happy
d. All of the above
Wowser. This study found that a furrowed brow doesn’t just show us to be unhappy or less agreeable — it actually causes us to feel more negative emotions. And this can even be contagious–triggering others to furrow their brows. So (d) all of the above!
Does this mean you should Botox your brows? No! But it does mean we should be aware of how we look on video calls or at rest. The furrowed brow is one of the 7 universal microexpressions: Anger.
Speaking of facial expressions…
5. True or false: Children’s ability to detect emotions appears minimally impacted by masks during the pandemic.
Good news for all! It is true. Children’s ability to discern emotions from faces does not appear to be dramatically impaired by mask-wearing, according to new research.
The best thing we can do for our kids is to teach them how to accurately read emotional cues.
Enjoy
and above all – take action on just ONE of these tips…
