In psychology there is a wide variety of syndromes and effects, many of them use the name metaphor to try to explain the effects one way or another, some examples are Peter Pan syndrome, Jerusalem syndrome, Othello syndrome, the Ben Franklin effect. , Mandela effect, etc. , but if you have to highlight one will be the chameleon effect.
Chameleons, small reptiles with large colored eyes and elastic tongues, are characterized by the general public for their ability to change the color of the skin; however, the popular view that the color change in camouflage is not entirely true. In comparison, the chameleon effect does not indicate how people change color, but how they change.
- Only a few species of chameleons have the ability to change color.
- Chameleons are not colorless and their color changes do not always occur depending on the environment.
- Most color changes are due to a physiological state.
- Chameleons react to temperature and time of day with color.
- Changes.
Color also changes in other situations due to psychological factors, for example, in the presence of an opponent or partner, in chameleon fights also change color, the color will indicate whether the chameleon is afraid or angry, therefore, color change is also sometimes a form of communication between chameleons.
In a Woody Allen film, there’s a very curious character: Zelig. Played by the director, the main character, Leonard Zelig, appears in different places interacting with different people. So far everything’s fine, but Zelig looks different every time. In the company of blacks, their complexion and voice change. When he meets Jews, his beard grows. When you’re with older people, you’re bigger too.
This strange case is investigated by Dr. Eudora Fletcher, played by Mia Farrow, who discovers in Zelig an extreme case of insecurity that leads him to camouflage himself among people, adapting his appearance to be accepted, Zelig has the supernatural ability to change his appearance. appearance adapting to his surroundings, so he is called the chameleon man. After lying about reading the book Moby Dick to feel integrated, the need for acceptance leads him to transform physically and psychologically.
“You’re like a chameleon that changes depending on the situation
Evidently, Woody Allen’s film is a parody, it shows an impossible situation, but that, by metaphor, can lead to a better understanding of what the chameleon effect is, also called emotional contagion and consists of a tendency to feel and internalize. emotions similar to those observed and, in the same way, to condition those of others. It is a process in which the person is influenced and, at the same time, influences the emotions and behaviors of other people or groups.
The chameleon effect defines a reality, which somehow we all function as if we were a mirror for others, we imitate the emotions of others, or at least the emotions that we unconsciously think others express, but that effect does not stop there. We also mimic facial postures and expressions, language, tone of voice, accent and vocabulary.
Our natural reaction when someone suffers a burst of laughter is to laugh. When you’re surrounded by people with a different accent, it usually doesn’t take long to start talking the same way. If we’re sitting with someone crossing our legs, we’ll probably sit the same way. While this effect does not always occur, it appears in many situations, both consciously and unconsciously.
The function of the chameleon effect, from an evolutionary point of view, had already been intuitive by Charles Darwin, the way we feel is determined, in part, by the actions we perform, in the same way the signals of other people are also they will. influence us. This increases personal well-being and makes us feel part of the groups. Without realizing it, small signals from others tell us how to act and our neurons make us imitate them.
Maybe we all have a Zelig in us. When we are with other people we adapt to be in the same emotional state, emotions are like viruses, they spread around us, we are programmed to infect others and infect ourselves with emotions from birth, if you feel positive emotions, others will feel If, on the contrary, you feel negative emotions, others will also feel them. Although this process is largely unconscious, you can take the first step with your positive emotion.
“I’m a chameleon, influenced by what’s going on. If Elvis can do it, so can I. If the Everly Brothers can do it, Paul and I can do it. The same goes for Dylan. ? -John Lennon-