We live in a world where statistics tell us how things are and the chances of something happening. Many of us take statistics we hear as facts, assuming that they apply to each of us individually. While statistics are immensely useful and they can give us startling insights and make astonishing predictions, we all know […]
emotional contagion
How to deflect negative emotion
Have you ever felt totally drained after spending time with certain people, whether at work or even in your personal life? I think we’ve all had those times… when we feel we’re literally soaking up the negative emotions of certain people around us. It’s called Emotional Contagion. Just as you can catch a cold by […]
“I’m Fine” – How you can sense when someone is lying
Have you ever spent time with someone who said they were fine, when they tell you that everyone was OK in their life, but after you left you had a nagging feeling that everything really was not fine? I’ve felt that on several occasions, usually with a friend or family member, and I’m sure they […]
A simple strategy for deflecting negative emotion
In my talks I quite often explain how we catch emotion from people. It’s facilitated by an interconnected network of brain cells known as the mirror neuron system. If you’re with someone who is happy, your brain actually mirrors the activity of their smile muscles (zygomaticus major and orbicularis oculi), signaling your muscles to do […]
The 3 Paths of Intuition
I think I’ve been really quite intuitive lately – from making the right choices to even guessing (to the second) when the oven timer was going to beep – so I decided to share what I knew about intuition, how it works, even why we have it. There seems to be different types of intuition, […]
The 21-Day Complaint-Free Challenge
Have you heard of the 21-day Complaint-Free Challenge? This is where you try to last a full 21 days without making a single complaint, criticism, or unfair judgement about someone or something. You keep track of your progress by switching a purple complaint-free band from one wrist to the other each time you complain (obtainable […]
Can You Catch a Smile?
I recently told a few friends about the exciting new scientific research that shows just how contagious smiling can be. They decided to test it out by just randomly smiling at people. One of my friends told me about her shopping trip to ASDA and how, after a few curious looks, some people smiled back. […]