Neuroscience
Faced with a challenging task, try folding your arms - new research shows people persevere for longer when their arms are crossed.
Ron Friedman and Andrew Elliot gave dozens of students an impossible anagram to solve. Half the students were instructed to attempt the puzzle with their hands on their thighs, while the other students were told to sit with their arms folded. The thigh group only persevered for about 30 seconds on average, while the students with their arms folded struggled on for nearly 55 seconds.
A second experiment involved testing more students with anagrams that had multiple solutions. This time, the students with their arms folded came up with more solutions than the students sat with their hands on their thighs.
The students had been told the research was part of an investigation into whether arm movements aid problem solving, and none of them guessed the true purpose of the study.
Further analysis showed that the benefits of arm folding were not related to mood or comfort. Rather the researchers believe that over many years, the act of crossing our arms comes to be implicitly associated with perseverance, so that adopting that position activates a nonconscious desire to succeed. However, they cautioned that it was important to consider context when using arm folding to influence your behaviour. In social contexts, arm folding may carry different meanings in different cultures, and can lead people to feel more distant from others.
The new findings follow a wealth of previous research showing how the positions of our bodies and the expressions on our faces don't just reflect how we are feeling, they can also influence our mood and behaviour. For example, smiling can cheer you up (pdf) and slouching can make you feel more helpless.
Link to earlier related Digest item.
Link to another related Digest item.
_________________________________
Friedman, R., Elliot, A.J. (2008). The effect of arm crossing on persistence and performance. European Journal of Social Psychology, 38(3), 449-461. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.444
Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest.
- Prolific Gossipers Are Disliked And Seen As Weak
Gossip might be the social glue that binds us, but prolific proponents of tittle-tattle should beware - gossipers are perceived not just as unlikeable but also as lacking social influence. Sally Farley made her finding after asking 128 participants (mostly...
- If-then Plans Help Protect Us From The 'to Hell With It' Effect
You're probably familiar with what could be called the 'to hell with it' effect. It's when (as demonstrated by lots of research) a bad mood causes us to take risky decisions or engage in risky behaviour. Like when you're feeling down...
- You're Not As Big-headed As You Think You Are
The chances are, you're not as big-headed as you think. I don't mean you're modest. I mean, literally, that the physical size of your head is smaller than you think it is. I say this because a team of psychologists led by Ivana Bianchi have...
- Biting On Pen Impairs People's Emotion Recognition
Have you ever noticed how, when two people are talking, they seem to mimic each other's facial expressions? Some psychologists say this is simply a case of emotions being contagious. However, others go further, arguing this mimicry plays a functional...
- Why Do We Still Believe In Group Brainstorming?
So you need some fresh, innovative ideas. What do you do? Get a group of your best thinkers together to bounce ideas of each other…? No, wrong answer. Time and again research has shown that people think of more new ideas on their own than they do in...
Neuroscience
Fold your arms to boost your performance
Faced with a challenging task, try folding your arms - new research shows people persevere for longer when their arms are crossed.Ron Friedman and Andrew Elliot gave dozens of students an impossible anagram to solve. Half the students were instructed to attempt the puzzle with their hands on their thighs, while the other students were told to sit with their arms folded. The thigh group only persevered for about 30 seconds on average, while the students with their arms folded struggled on for nearly 55 seconds.
A second experiment involved testing more students with anagrams that had multiple solutions. This time, the students with their arms folded came up with more solutions than the students sat with their hands on their thighs.
The students had been told the research was part of an investigation into whether arm movements aid problem solving, and none of them guessed the true purpose of the study.
Further analysis showed that the benefits of arm folding were not related to mood or comfort. Rather the researchers believe that over many years, the act of crossing our arms comes to be implicitly associated with perseverance, so that adopting that position activates a nonconscious desire to succeed. However, they cautioned that it was important to consider context when using arm folding to influence your behaviour. In social contexts, arm folding may carry different meanings in different cultures, and can lead people to feel more distant from others.
The new findings follow a wealth of previous research showing how the positions of our bodies and the expressions on our faces don't just reflect how we are feeling, they can also influence our mood and behaviour. For example, smiling can cheer you up (pdf) and slouching can make you feel more helpless.
Link to earlier related Digest item.
Link to another related Digest item.
_________________________________
Friedman, R., Elliot, A.J. (2008). The effect of arm crossing on persistence and performance. European Journal of Social Psychology, 38(3), 449-461. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.444
Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest.
- Prolific Gossipers Are Disliked And Seen As Weak
Gossip might be the social glue that binds us, but prolific proponents of tittle-tattle should beware - gossipers are perceived not just as unlikeable but also as lacking social influence. Sally Farley made her finding after asking 128 participants (mostly...
- If-then Plans Help Protect Us From The 'to Hell With It' Effect
You're probably familiar with what could be called the 'to hell with it' effect. It's when (as demonstrated by lots of research) a bad mood causes us to take risky decisions or engage in risky behaviour. Like when you're feeling down...
- You're Not As Big-headed As You Think You Are
The chances are, you're not as big-headed as you think. I don't mean you're modest. I mean, literally, that the physical size of your head is smaller than you think it is. I say this because a team of psychologists led by Ivana Bianchi have...
- Biting On Pen Impairs People's Emotion Recognition
Have you ever noticed how, when two people are talking, they seem to mimic each other's facial expressions? Some psychologists say this is simply a case of emotions being contagious. However, others go further, arguing this mimicry plays a functional...
- Why Do We Still Believe In Group Brainstorming?
So you need some fresh, innovative ideas. What do you do? Get a group of your best thinkers together to bounce ideas of each other…? No, wrong answer. Time and again research has shown that people think of more new ideas on their own than they do in...