So while reading my non-fiction book for this class, I found something that I thought was pretty interesting. This was something that I had seen before while scrolling through Instagram and whatnot and a few people had mentioned it when I’ve done it subconsciously. These things are called mirror neurons. It’s something that everyone does subconsciously and it’s something that you wouldn’t notice unless you were looking for it.
Mirror neurons cause us to imitate others around us. We usually do this more so with people that we like or want to associate with. For example, for those of us with significant others have probably picked up some quirks that they do. Whether this is how they sit, walk, talk, or even phrases or word choice that they use, you might notice that you’ve started to copy them or vice versa. This goes for family members, friends, classmates, basically anyone that you spend a lot of time with.
This has always been something that I would notice but never put much thought into. After reading about it though, I learned that it shows a lot about how you subconsciously feel about the people around you. Like how people in healthy relationships don’t mirror people of the opposite gender as much, or how couples begin to look alike because they share emotions (aka they make the same faces since when one’s happy so is the other).
It also mentions that mirroring others makes you more likable and trustworthy. This is because people trust people with things in common with them, so by sitting like them it makes them feel more comfortable and relaxed around you. This is why in Junior Seminar you’re instructed to mirror your interviewer because studies show that the interviewees that mirror are more likely to get the job.
Another thing that I find is very interesting is that the opposite for all of this is true. If you are in a group and no one is mirroring you then you are more likely to feel left out or rejected. Being mirrored causes hormones in your brain to spike and makes you feel more connected with others.Overall, I find it really interesting that our brains make so many decisions for us without even noticing. What are some things that you do subconsciously that others have pointed out to you?
I got most of my information from the book Invisible Influence and I highly suggest it.
My freshman year of lacrosse, a lot of the seniors had this odd habit of saying “No yeah”. It was sort of this weird phrase used for agreeing with someone. “You know how people do that thing?” “No yeah,” and then the conversation continues on. When you spend that much time with people, you end up picking up phrases like that. I started saying the phrase all the time, even subconsciously started using it in my texts. Even now, three years later, “No yeah” will still come out of my mouth. Looking back, it was probably one of the ways I (and the other freshmen) tried to fit in with the rest of the team and seniors.
ReplyDeleteI learned about this in psychology this year, and I think it's definitely really interesting. My friends always seem to pick up what I say and vice versus. I don't remember who specifically started it, but one of my friends said "bro" to me all the time when she talked to me. I picked up that word, so I say "bro" in many of my sentences now subconsciously.
ReplyDelete