Find out what actually affects your behavior

Sociologists, psychologists and philosophers discovered that physical sensations affect our behaviour. So they formed the theory of embodied knowledge. In accordance with this theory, abstract concepts are perceived by us through the body experience, which is associated with these concepts. Knowing about metaphorical connections, you will be able to use the stimuli of the environment to your advantage.

1. Temperature changes affect our mood. The pleasant warm weather makes us more cheerful, the heat is associated with aggression, and the cold brings a sense of loneliness. Realizing that heat affects the relationships between people, you can improve the “climate” in the group with the help of heating or blankets. You can also make the relationships in the family closer by regular hot meals whole family together.
2. Our perception of the situation may depend on contact with a smooth, rough, soft or hard object from the nearest use. So, soft or hard towels, thin or thick mats for Pilates classes, texture of the equipment surfaces  affect our attitude. To smooth out the stress accumulated over the day, you can dress in something soft and silky.
3. Red color in all cases causes anxiety and leads to a syndrome of avoidance. In response to the alarm, we react with mobilization of forces and try to prevent a threat. Red color stimulates simple physical actions (grasping, jumping, squeezing) and makes it difficult to perform tasks related to cognitive activity (attention, memory, perception). Athletes who wear a red uniform often win and receive more points from the judges.
4. White, bright and colorful associate with positive states, and black and dark – with negative, terrible and immoral actions. Everyone knows that crimes are committed more often at night than during the day. And the darkness provokes people to lie. Everyone also knows the phenomenon of autumn seasonal disorder, which arises from the lack of sunlight. So, you have a tool for raising your mood and morality. Let in the room more light, make the home lighting brighter, add colors to your wardrobe.
5. The physical distance is related to psychological proximity. People are friends with their closest neighbours more often than with those who live on the next street. Between people who are studying in the same class or on the same course, a longer friendship arises. You can use physical distance as a tool to influence the mood. Emotional conversation, in which you want to show the depth and importance of your feelings, will be more effective if you sit close to each other. And when you need to keep logical thinking and to move away from emotions, it is better to sit away.
6. Physical purity affects the peace of mind and the lack of pricelessness. Physical ablution reduces the sense of guilt. And when you have an overabundance of emotions or you sweep between two choices, washing your hands can save you some load. The shower after work also helps to relieve stress and switch from work to home. The process of purification can weaken the influence of the past and help focus on the present.
7. The smell affects our emotions, decision-making and actions. In the course of experiments, scientists found that the smell of mint has a beneficial effect on the physical exercises. The smell of peppermint not only affects the psychological perception of the exercise load, but also actually increases strength and endurance and improves the result. Athletes of the same level of preparation in a room with a mint fragrance ran faster, squeezed the wrist expander more and make more push ups than those who was indoors without smells.

Using the theory of embodied knowledge, you can perceive the situation in a new way. Learn more about how physical sensations affect your body, you can in the book “The new science of Physical Intelligence” by Thalma Lobel.

The author of the article is Anastasiia Vekua