Recent research has come up with scientific proof of ‘mirror neurones’. What are these? And how do they work?
Well, before reading on, let’s do a small experiment.
Answer this question before reading on: how do you feel right now, on a scale from 1-10 (10 is excellent, superb, never better)
Then, have a look at my picture for at least 30 seconds.
Done? Ok, describe how do you feel right now? Has your initial number changed?
So what does this have to do with mirror neurones. It turns out, that just by looking at faces of other people, we tend to experience the emotions that we see. The effect is very strong when we mimic the face we see (you may wanna give this a try), but also by just looking, without changing anything in your own facial expression, will fire some neurones in your emotional brain, that will make you feel the emotion that you see. In this case probably (and hopefully) happy.
What is the practical side of this knowledge. Well, whenever you feel a little down or sad. Just by looking at, or surrounding yourself with happy people, you will feel better.
Have a smiling day!
Annemarie Steen
Annemarie Steen 