During a study, researchers observed that when people were asked to think about the future, they leaned forward, but when they were prompted to think about the past, they began leaning back.
A coincidence?
Not at all. We know the brain tells the body what to do – causing conscious actions or subconscious ones, like certain body movements or facial expressions.
But did you know it also works the other way around?
Your mind isn’t just an abstract entity; it’s closely connected to your body. This connection goes two ways. Your body movements and positions, and your facial expressions, can actually influence your thoughts and help your brain.
How?
Body Movements Can Boost Performance
You can use your body to increase…
Comprehension – Imitating another person’s behavior – their way of expressing themselves or their postures – can actually help you understand their thinking pattern better. It might even help you to correctly guess what they would do in a specific situation.
Empathy – Copying another person’s behavior can also help you to put yourself in their place and empathize. The idea behind mimicking is to feel what they’re feeling.
Happiness – Putting on a smile can help you see the world in a brighter light. So, when you make yourself smile – feeling like it or not – you can actually cause yourself to feel happier.
Insight – Lying down is a good way to help you solve problems faster, coming up with creative solutions. If you’re stuck on a problem, find yourself a comfortable place and stretch out.
Performance – Taking a short nap – 10 minutes maximum for best results – while you’re lying in that comfortable place, can help you boost your cognitive performance. But be careful, don’t overdo it! Nap too long and you’ll feel drowsy afterward and performance goes down the drain.
Persistence – Crossing your arms when you’re stuck on a problem is another way to help you solve it. This posture can help you be more persistent, working longer on figuring out the correct solution.
Persuasion – Gesturing while talking is more than a subconscious product of how some people communicate. Hand gestures can actually help you to be more persuasive. The best gestures are those that complement what you’re saying, helping the other person understand.
Power – Standing or sitting with arms or legs in an expansive posture tells your brain that you’re dominating the space and helps you feel more powerful. There is a reasons it’s called the “power pose.” Powerful posturing also has the effect of flooding your system with testosterone, which heightens the effect.
Understanding – Moving your hands while learning new things can help you retain and understand the information better. It’s as if you’re thinking with your hands and your brain.
Willpower – Tightening muscles can give a boost to your willpower, helping you to be able to resist temptations, withstand pain, listen to unsettling news, or go through with an unpleasant task.
Other Ways to Use Your Body to Stimulate Your Mind
Aside from taking on specific postures to help your brain boost performance, you can also use body movements in other ways to stimulate and help your mind.
For example, consider putting these kind of actions to work for you:
- Physically walking away from a perplexing problem gives your brain a chance to take a break and reorganize for a new attempt at solving the issue.
- Taking a walk in nature refreshes your mind and can help you improve your focus and attention to a matter.
- Writing down your worries with a pen on paper actually helps your brain to physically download the stress from your mind to the paper, literally taking the worries off your mind.
