Do you think what you think defines your behavior, or do you think that, on the contrary, what you’re doing defines what you think?Whatever your answer, you’re right, because the two things are linked and the influence is bidirectional. We can change the way we think by changing our actions and vice versa.
Still not convinced? Read!
- Are we happy because we smile or smile because we are happy?Find out for yourself.
- Take a pencil and put it between your teeth.
- Keep it there for 30 seconds Your brain now secretes the same dopamine as if you laugh at a joke someone told you.
This is just a very simple example of how we can make our brains change mood and therefore change what we think.
Fritz Strack and Sabine Stepper of mannheim University, as well as Leonard Martin of the University of Illinois, had an interesting experiment: they asked several people to hold a pencil with their lips, while others were asked to hold it with their teeth. without the pencil touching his lips.
People who took their lips could not make the most common expressions of joy, like a smile. The effect of holding the pencil with your lips was interesting.
Did these people find the comics less fun? On a numerical scale?That people holding the pencil with their teeth and therefore had an expression of forced laughter.
With this, the researchers were able to conclude that by forcing the smile gesture, we improved our mood, so we would be more likely to perceive situations as positive and funny.
By changing our actions, we can change our thoughts
What if we speed up our heart rate while we’re in front of someone else?Could we find it more attractive simply because we have a higher activation frequency?
In 1974, psychologists Arthur Aron and Donald Dutt experimented to find the answer.
Two groups of young people had to cross a bridge. For one group, the bridge was safe and stable, while for the second, it was a revolving bridge and therefore felt a little uncertain.
In the second group, participants ended up being more physiologically activated, as they experienced feelings of fear and danger caused by the bridge. The first group crossed the bridge without any activation.
At the end of the bridge, participants were interviewed by an attractive woman who left her phone number to each participant and told them that if they had any questions, they could call their number.
Participants who crossed the bridge in an unstable manner and had greater activation, reaching the end of the bridge with a higher heart rate, unconsciously interpreted this activation as an attraction. They called the woman more often than the group that crossed the safe bridge.
What can we do with our behavior to change and improve our emotions?Each of us knows what is best for us, and each knows his own way of adapting the exercises and thus achieving it. Deceive the brain.
Even if you think this isn’t true for you, you can try out all the possibilities to choose from. Take a look at them below.
By changing what we do, we also influence our feelings
There’s no doubt that we can change what we think with the simple fact of changing what we do, so encourage yourself to look for what makes you laugh, what makes you feel peace, and what makes you free.
Do this and you’ll see results, It’s easy!All it takes is a little willpower to get started!