An interesting quote from an article about Paul Ekman, Professor of Psychology at UC San Francisco:
ÓCrucial to how we feel is being aware of how we are feeling in the moment.
The sine qua non [literally Òwithout which nothingÓ; i.e., the key to making this useful] of that is to realize that you are being emotional in the first place.
The earlier you recognize an emotion, the more choice you will have in dealing with it.
In Buddhist terms, it is recognizing the spark before the flame.
In Western terms, it is trying to increase the gap between impulse and saying or doing anything you might regret later.Ó
Dr. Ekman has researched facial emotional responses, and developed the Facial Action Coding System used in forensics and by animators.
One of his interesting discoveries was that if you put your face into one of the positions associated with an emotion, you will come to feel that emotion. What a useful tool this can be!
-->>Make your face smile, and you will begin to feel happiness!<<--
He is demonstrating one of the core beliefs of CBT: You CAN change your behavior, because you can change your emotions. If you can start the process simply by changing your expression, imagine what you can do if you change your underlying beliefs as well!
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Reader comments:
ÒThis really works!! Try looking miserable and saying, ÔI feel greatÕ, then put on a huge smile, and say out loud, ÔI feel so dreadful - IÕm having such a lousy dayÕ. If I ever wake up in the morning feeling down, I get in the shower, put on a crazy grin and say a dozen times, ÔI feel wonderful, amazing, outstandingÕ (and any other superlatives I can think of at the time). ItÕs guaranteed that after a couple of minutes of that, my mood will become more positive, and itÕs a great start to the day.Ó
Now, hereÕs a rule to follow: stick your tongue out at EVERY mirror you pass. You wonÕt be the only one who smiles....
For more information about Dr. EkmanÕs research: