An excerpt from a recent media interview:
Patti Wood, author of Success Signals and consultant in the field, points out that much body language operates from the limbic brain at a subconscious level. “The advantage of recognizing body language at the conscious level is that we become more aware of our own signals and have a deeper understanding of others,” she said.
However you hold your body, you begin to feel that way chemically in less than a 40th of a second, she said. The classic example is a smile. “If you go to a sales meeting and want to show you are truly excited about the product, bring your body language up, bring lift to your posture, chest, gestures, facial muscles up and into a smile. The message of your body language sends signals to your brain so you begin to feel that way.” “We know our body reflects how we feel, but the inverse is also true.” One of her favorite tips: “Do it and you will begin to feel it.”
She explains that the mirror neurons in our brains subconsciously reflect back to us that action we see in someone else. “We mirror what they are doing and this actually creates empathy through ‘emotional contagion’,” she said. “So that we feel, create the same chemical they do and feel what they are feeling”
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.