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The Ultimate Body Language Book

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mind and create positive or negative feelings. Even laughing, done for no good reason, can put<br />

someone in a good mood because it helps release all sorts of positive hormones.<br />

<strong>Body</strong> language, for this reason, is very powerful. As we learn the gestures associated with opened and<br />

closed minds, we can create positive changes in ourselves. We can even induce emotional changes in<br />

others through the use of mirroring, as we shall see in a later chapter. Just by uncrossing the arms, or<br />

unfurrowing the brow, can make us not only appear more open and happy, but also make us feel that<br />

way. Smiling, even if one is not in the mood, can be particularly effective because it can set the<br />

framework by which an interaction might take place. So to provide a quick answer to our initial<br />

question, emotions likely have inward and outward forces with varying strengths. With some practice<br />

we can either resist outward stimuli, or adopt them, or can induce inward stimuli and emit them.<br />

Having the ability to spot reasons for bad moods and body language can allow us to replace them with<br />

more positive body language helping us feel happier.<br />

Chapter 1 - Why <strong>The</strong> Study Of <strong>Body</strong> <strong>Language</strong> Is Important<br />

How And Why <strong>The</strong> <strong>Body</strong> Reveals Emotions: <strong>The</strong><br />

Brain-<strong>Body</strong> Interplay<br />

Many theories exist<br />

about the human emotional brain. <strong>The</strong>y range from more inward brain centered origins to more reflex<br />

or environmental oriented origins. That is, one theory says that emotions come from the inside whereas<br />

others say that emotions are created by reacting to what happens in the outside world. Which of the two<br />

is correct? Where do our emotions actually come from? How do these related to our body language?<br />

We cover these next.<br />

Our amygdala is a part of the brain that has been shown to be the core structure of our emotions and it<br />

is closely tied to our body function. <strong>The</strong> amygdala decodes the information received from our senses<br />

and initiates adaptive behaviours through connections to the motor system (our body). Plenty of<br />

research shows how this area of the brain is particularly adept at reading facial emotions and decoding<br />

them. Other research has identified a structure called the “mirror neuron” found in the brain that<br />

triggers a mirror response and causes us to imitate facial expressions. Mirror neurons work regardless

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