Have you ever cried at work? Have you shouted at a boss or co-worker? Have you lost your cool? It’s rare to find a person who wouldn’t like a redo on an emotional moment or period in his or her life. And so, this week on Big Think, I posted a blog that focuses on ways to deal with situations that elicit reactionary emotional responses.
Research has long shown that even when managing emotions to the best of our abilities, facial expressions and body movement/positions send messages about which we’re often unaware. Gender and culture influence the types of expressions we exhibit readily as research by Paul Ekman and Ross Buck, among others, has demonstrated.
For example, women tend to more readily smile and often do so when the discussion at hand requires a more serious expression in order to convey conviction.
The blog linked here takes a look at some techniques that can prove helpful when attempting to train oneself to emote differently. This isn’t about changing who you are or even how you think, but rather at least knowing when your spontaneous expressions may be getting in the way of your goals.
