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Our attitude influences our behavior. It is also true that your behavior influences your attitude. By pretending to be artist and going through the motions of being an artist you will become an artist. Read More
Ah, the classic 'fake it
Ah, the classic 'fake it until you make it' theory. Would the individual not have to have a certain sense of self-belief before 'acting' their way through a new experience?
I recall one of the candidates on the UK's The Apprentice who faked his way through an art exhibition and sold many more paintings than his colleagues, purely by pretending he knew something about art.
- Razwana
Ah, the classic'fake it until
Ah, the classic'fake it until you make it' theory. Would the individual not have to have a certain degree of self-belief before diving into a new experience?
I recall one of the candidates in the UK's The Apprentice who sold many more paintings at at art exhibition purely by pretending he knew something about art.
- Razwana
What you're talking about and
What you're talking about and what the article is about are two different things.
Huh? Razwana is totally on
Huh? Razwana is totally on topic with the above comment.
Huh? Razwana is totally on
Huh? Razwana is totally on topic with the above comment.
How so?
How so?
Interesting read, but could
Interesting read, but could something be done about the numerous typos in this article? I'd be embarrassed to share this on facebook. PT is better than this. No?
Not to mention the fact that
Not to mention the fact that he attributed a famous experiment from Paul Ekman to "two CIA researchers." This plagiarist should be banned from writing articles on this website!
Ekman
Paul Ekman is a distinguished researcher in the field of facial expressions. Most of his work focuses on "reading" facial expressions and expressions made by people who are lying. His work is, to my knowledge, interpretative. Much of his work has been incorporated into the CIA's work on profiling based on facial expressions. The CIA discovered that even facial expressions you make unknowingly effect your emotions. This was an agency discovery. Please email me and I'll happily discuss my information with you.
Michael
The Pen
I heard about the pen-technique before, it's amazing how that works!
I find it also really helps to use statements that kinda create, or go with, a smile. FOR INSTANCE:
"It's good to see you boy, GOOD to see YOU! This is GREAT! Alright!!"
It's upbeat, positive, and will make you (and those around you ;-) feel good.
Win Win! ;-)
Mark
Nice
One could also add how roles changed the behavior of Standford prison experiment participants. They pretended to be wardens or prisoners and after a while they became that.
The outside-in concept of eyebrows worked quite well. This begs the question - are all our emotions external stimuli based?
That reminds me of "which
That reminds me of "which came first, the chicken or the egg?". Its probably true that our emotions started out as external stimuli based; as our emotions developed because of our social ties (external) and aided us in survival. As we became more complex, we became more emotional and vice versa. So in a way our emotions are external stimuli based (or originated), but that doesn't mean that we do not experience emotion without external stimuli.
Yes! That Stanford prison
Yes! That Stanford prison experiment is so amazing! It speaks volumes about human nature.
Fun thoughts
All the artists you mentioned, suffered from Bipolar disease.
Some were either homosexual (like Michelangelo), or thought to be homosexual (like Dali)
This could be an interesting future article.
So true!!
This is a great article that goes well beyond the beckoning of the pop psychologists to be happy to feel happy, and yet it demonstrates that when we change the way we think of things the things we think about truly change.
Laura McGee
www.LeaveStrong.com
Ehh...
Not sure how I feel about this article. It smells a little like positive psychology...not that I don't think this has fantastic implications and could truly lead people to changing their lives for the better by just going through the motions. But I can't help, but ask the question, "At what cost is this to the authentic self?" I guess this would depend on whether or not you believe that there is an innate soul/dispositions/personality in us that is truer than any other. What if we flip the tables and look at Dali's choosing to be extroverted as a life-long attempt to run from his more natural introverted inclinations? I think that example was a little different from that of Michelangelo conquering a new artistic medium. Dali's story presumes that being introverted and shy is wrong...which it could be if it is a handicap of shame and not a true individualistic tendency. At what point should we fake? Is it bad to be depressed because you are bringing others down, or is it more important to heed whats truly going on under the surface? I'm starting to get a little wordy, but just a few things that popped into my head while reading this. Would like to see what others think!
Ditto
I have exactly the same questions about this as you. Thanks for articulating it.
I agree. For example, I can
I agree. For example, I can spot a fake smile every time. There is a difference between simply pretending and actually motivating yourself.
Being Genuine
We're all responsible for our own thoughts, feelings, and actions. I agree that if you are faking a smile, then that is what it is. However, if you have identified for yourself that you are feeling a negative emotion, then you have two options. Keep feeling and thinking the same things, or decide to change. If you decide to change--you can do it by modifying either your thought flow or with your emotions. I'd challenge that if you use both--you'll have faster results, b/c we attach meaning to things based on our senses.
As I read through the comments, I stuck a pen between my teeth to see if it would work on its own. It didn't, because I was focused on reading the comments & not becoming happy. However, it worked as a tool to keep on smiling when I stopped reading comments and focused on drumming up memories of things that had made me smile during the day. Then I was smiling and holding a pen between my teeth. That felt silly--I rather just get up and dance, but this may work for some people if they truly have trouble coming up with happy memories/visualizations as the pen physically holds your muscles there as you think.
I'll keep this in mind to recommend to clients as a fun neuroscience fact. I'll put it into the quirky tool category that may just work if someone is prone to a funk. It makes me think of how we encourage depressed people to just get up and move so oxygen circulates, endorphins are created, stress-reducing hormones are produced--and the brain activity changes.
Which, gets me back to my point--if you have a genuine intention behind why you are changing a specific thought/feeling, then what results is a genuine action, not a fake one. Internal beliefs are powerful, and inspiring yourself to change is hard work--but doable if you commit.
This follows with how Michelangelo and Dali's belief overcame any obstacles. I would venture to say Dali's introversion was crippling to him, and he made a decision to do something about it. The beauty of brain plasticity is that you can rewire your brain creating new neural pathways by changing where you focus your thoughts. Memories--attached to emotions (and the rest of the six senses--visual, taste, touch, hear, smell, kinesthetic). Visualizations--attached to 7 senses. Brain doesn't know the difference between memory, reality, visualizations. So if you want to create more of something, then place most of your attention/focus there. This is what the Greats do--and they relegate the negative dialogue to the trash, where it belongs.
Thanks--I'll be sure to share!
Sincerely,
Lyndsay Katauskas, MEd
Mars Venus Coaching
Corporate Media Relations
Is this not more to do with
Is this not more to do with self-belief than authenticity? Michelangelo clearly believed in himself and Dali must have had an element of self belief to push his boundaries somewhat?
This also goes into the whole nature vs. nurture debate. How far was Dali's introverted personality a result of his genetics? Not much, is my view.
- Razwana
This only works to a limited extent
I've tried various types of careers, and some have worked and some haven't, regardless of how hard I've tried to do well and tell myself I liked what I've been doing.
I don't think that people have that level of flexibility; I think that people have innate inclinations that make some activities a better match than others.
And I think that this approach could serve to prevent positive change: If you believe that all you have to do is tell yourself you like something and it will all be fine, then you have no reason or motivation to change negative conditions. Like a lot of "change your perceptions" methods, it discourages change.
Yes
Yes! I think you make some great points and I think that along the same lines of "it discourages change", I think that faking yourself into a way of being may even inhibit real human growth, which is usually challenging and cannot be faked or pretended to come to realization. Acting more mature, does not mean that you are maturing, etc, for example.
I also liked your point about natural inclinations and what popped into my head was "What if an elephant pretends to be a swan?...acts like a swan and even starts posing like a swan...he will still be an elephant:)might as well make the best of being an elephant! Same goes for the swan...
"What if an elephant pretends to be a swan?
I disagree with "What if an elephant pretends to be a swan". I don't believe this article is talking about a physical change. Case in point: instead of an elephant, a man (or woman) could act like their opposite sex. Sooner or later that person, for all intents and purposes, will morph, mentally and emotionally, into that sex. And though there was no physical change he/she can become very convincing to those on the outside--happens everyday. I was at a cookout recently where their was a young boy who dressed completely like a girl--down to his shoes!
Of course he caused a whole lot of attention, including from me. As hard as I tried to see the boy in him I just couldn't. I'll stop here and let anyone else who wants to comment on this.
It's an analogy, not a literal statement
nt
This article is about making
This article is about making yourself believe in being what you want to be. Real change in behavior is very difficult for most people to accomplish on their own. If for some all it takes is to believe in themselves, it would not be considered fake, but would be a new approach to change. If you are out of shape but start to think like a fitness fanatic, you will start to make the necessary changes in your life to properly adjust your approach to fitness- because you start adopt the actions of those that are fit.
Your example of the swan and elephant was an asinine approach. The representation in the article is about internal change, about changing how you approach situations. It's not about trying to be another species, that's a bit of a stretch.
I think that for the sake of
I think that for the sake of the discussion boards, you could avoid calling someone's point of view asinine. This is an open forum and obviously the article is up for interpretation and everyone will have their own point of view-
I've done this
I've done this with public speaking. I always experienced overwhelming physical symptoms of nervousness when I was in the spotlight. My hands would shake, my voice would quaver, and my mind would blank.
I started pretending I was a very self-possessed gentleman in my Toastmasters club. He always seemed to be speaking extemporaneously, even if he had every word memorized. He sounded natural and unforced, without a hint of nervousness. So, I pretended I was him. I also got a lot of practice through Toastmasters.
It worked like a charm. The physical symptoms lessened or vanished. I actually began to like public speaking. Once, I interviewed for a promotion with an executive I'd never met, and he realized he'd seen a presentation I'd made in front of about 400 people. At the time he'd remarked to his friends that whoever I was, I was a very effective speaker who seemed completely at ease. ME?!
Perhaps this goes against my actual self, or perhaps my nervousness was inhibiting my actual self, and I learned to overcome it. I know I feel a lot more comfortable not letting nervousness get the better of me.
Now if I can only find someone to emulate during interviews (I didn't get that promotion).
interestingly enough, I've
interestingly enough, I've noticed on the treadmill when I'm cooling down and want my heart rate to go down, it does so very quickly if i simply smile and think good thoughts.
physicality
coincidentally I blogged about this quite recently. The other one you might be interested in is that raising your eyebrows apparently promotes creativity. So if you can sit with a pencil gripped between your teeth and yours eyebrows raised, you will be happy and creative - or at least amusing to your coworkers! http://mudmap.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/wrinkles-of-creativity/
facial Expressions
this is a great observation. I have myself experienced that if i force myself to smile i generally feel happy. The tone of your voice also is very crucial. If you talk in enthusiastic tone you will be happy.
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