The link between our mind and our body have been a subject of numerous studies over the years. If the interactions between these two entities were only conceptualized by religion and philosophy-based approaches for centuries, modern medicine recently took on this subject as our knowledge in neuro-cognitive sciences advanced. We moved from a hyper specialized way of considering things to a more holistic perspective. We consider our entire being as a result of a dynamic interaction between our cognition and affects, our biology and our environment.
To illustrate our point, we can take the case of our smile. Smiling is contagious. But have you ever wondered why ?
(Bear with me, it’ll get a little technical here)
When we see someone smiling, our mirror neurons, localized in our premotor cortex are activated and simulate the cognitive pattern that leads this person to smile. Our rewarding system is turned on and it triggers a rush of dopamine as if it was us smiling. There’s a chain reaction and our facial muscles are awakened and ready to deliver a smile too.
This reaction is a result of our evolution as a species. Thanks to this ability, we can understand other people’s emotions better as we are kind of going through them too. It’s the foundation of empathy. And of course, we experience it to different levels depending on whether or not we’ve already processed that emotion and to what depth we did.
So, to sum it up : in this case our environment stimulates our cognitive function which delivers a hormonal and physical response. But can it work the other way around ? Research showed that yes, it does. The simple act of smiling activates our rewarding system as they go hand in hand. It shows how some of our physical acts are inextricably linked to our cognition, emotional pattern and hormonal release.
Comedians can easily relate to this fact. When for example, they shout and adopt an aggressive posture in an attempt to seem angry for the purpose of their play : even when the curtains are closed it can be hard to get away from the emotions their act provoked.
These findings on the interaction of our body and mind have led to the deployment of practices such as sophrology and laughter yoga in our western world. And numerous studies have since then searched how we could use our body as a tool to bring our best state of mind.
Among them we can find the study led by Carney, Cuddy & Yap (2010). According to this study « adopting expansive postures causes people to feel more powerful ». Those expansive postures, also known as power poses, if adopted for a few minutes, could increase our level of testosterone and help decrease our level of cortisol (the stress hormone ). Practicing power poses would thus improve our self-confidence and help us bring our best selves to our hardest challenges.
If that idea seems quite appealing (well, who would refuse to do something so effortless which brings great results ?) It faced a lot of controversy. Indeed, the results from their study could not be replicated to the same extent by following studies. And Carney, a co-author of this research, even said at some point that their results could have been biased.
Nonetheless, research on this topic is still ongoing. And regardless of whether or not power posing is as effective as it was first said to be, it’s still an invitation to be more mindful of our body.
What are the takeaway of this article ?
- By smiling (or laughing, it works too) you’re hacking other people’s brain and making their day
- Your body could be the best partner in your mental health journey. (Yes, working out is good. Your body releases dopamine to help you recover from your practice. But it may not be the only way to get that little drug, pal. Try power posing and comment down below if it worked for you)
References :
https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/mirror-neurons-smiling/
https://oxsci.org/a-smile-can-change-the-world/
https://www.cerveauetpsycho.fr/sr/interview/notre-corps-determine-notre-rapport-au-monde-17611.php
Carney, D.R., Cuddy, A.J.C., & Yap, A.J. (2010). Power posing: Brief nonverbal displays affect neuroendocrine levels and risk tolerance. Psychological Science, 10, 1363-1368.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/sensation/201405/the-power-your-pose
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/once-more-feeling/201609/in-defense-power-poses
https://www.thecut.com/2016/09/read-amy-cuddys-response-to-power-posing-critiques.html