Would you like to be able to have more control and influence over your thought processes in order to increase the quality of your life and / or achieve your personal goals ? This article outlines some of the ways your body controls your brain. It provides you with some ways to benefit from this.

I have discussed in previous articles some of the influences on our thinking processes, such as heuristics and implicit biases which operate under our level of consciousness. This week I will highlight some of the ways our body can influence our thought processes.

The theory of ‘Embodied cognition’ in psychology suggests that not only does our thinking influence our body, but that our ‘body movement’ can influence our thinking. The reason why I chose this topic is that awareness of what our body is doing (or how our body is moving) offers some possibilities for changing our thinking.

Some of the Theory Behind This

There is a branch of psychology called Evolutionary Psychology which studies why the brain has evolved in the way it has. It suggests that the brain has developed to support the survival of the species, and in particular our individual existence and functioning when under threat. From this perspective the brain is viewed as serving the body,. It is therefore not surprising that body movement, or the movement of others, will trigger particular brain responses.

In extreme situations when we are in danger, the ‘fight or flight’ mechanism kicks in results in the body taking control over and shutting down parts of the brain in order to increase the oxygen available to support the body. In this article I will discuss some of the more subtle ways our brain responds based on particular body movements that research has uncovered. These might prompt you to consider how you could use these movements to engage your brain in different ways in specific situations that might serve you better.

Flexing muscles increase willpower

Research suggests that the act of flexing muscles increases willpower. The idea is that this action activates a part of the brain that increases our resolve to undertake difficult tasks and increasing our level of self-control to stay on task. This activation process is like the act of muscle flexing and is a signal to the brain that the body is about to start a task which will require significant self-control to complete. In response the brain makes this self-control resource available. This might be expected from an evolutionary perspective as flexing of muscles represents preparation for a fight, and resolve and staying focused are qualities needed to win a fight.

Experiment 1

If you are preparing yourself for a difficult task trying flexing your muscles discretely, and see if it impacts your sense of being able to compete the task. As you reflect on your ‘flexing’ and its impact, consider whether in performing the task, if did you found you were less distracted and / or more focused than usual?

Body Posture Effects Mood

Research has shown that a stooped posture results in more negative mood than a straightened posture along with slower recovery from a negative mood. The contribution of body movement to emotional regulation is interesting. It would seem that a stooped posture is supportive of a negative emotional state and also a reaction to a negative emotional state. Hence this posture and the negative feeling state become like a closed loop. Changing posture to a straightened, or even a neutral stance, is a way of starting to change negative feeling states as the body position is not supportive of negative emotional states.

Experiment 2

If you find yourself feeling in a negative mood try sitting up with a straight posture and notice what effect this has on your mood. Also when you changed your posture did you find it harder to maintain your negative thought streams?

Moving towards or moving away  affects how we perceive an object

Research has shown that the physical act of moving away from, or towards, an object affects how we emotionally categorise the object, irrespective of whether it is something we would normally have negative or positive feelings about. We normally associate the choice of moving towards or moving away from somethings with a mental evaluation of what a particular object represents to us which then generates a particular body action. In this case the physical direction of movement in relation to an object has triggered an evaluation and an emotional response. It suggests that movement towards makes us feel more positive about the object. Also that moving away gives us a more negative feeling towards the object.

Experiment 3

Try physically moving towards something that you don’t like and just notice your automatic thoughts about it and whether it is less negative than usual. Then try moving away from something that you normally have positive feeling about and see if this action makes a difference in how you feel about the object.

In Finishing

Evolutionary psychology suggests that our brain developed to support the needs of our body and its broader existential need which includes procreation and survival. ‘Embodied cognition’ suggests that our body is also able to influence and trigger thought reactions. In the three examples above; the direction of body movement, body posture and muscle flexing, specific activation and responses have been triggered within the brain. In all cases manipulation of the body in different ways has created specific mental responses including in some cases changes in regulation and self-control capacities.

I suggest trying some of the experiments above as you notice what impact, if any it makes. If you find it makes a difference and results in better outcomes for you then continue to use it.

Thanks and enjoy

Scott