(no subject)

[nonethefewer]

I remember why I don't like winter.

I sometimes associate feeling [emotionally] $foo with feeling [physically] $bar.  Sometimes when I feel $bar, that triggers feelings of $foo.  One example is when I am wicked scattered, I get the shakes.

Cold makes me shiver.

So I get wicked scattered.

*annoyed*

Comments

[kightp.livejournal.com]

It's not just you. I wish I could lay hands on the research report I read recently which confirms that we humans so associate physical and emotional states that just experiencing the physical sensations can push us straight into the associated emotion even when there's no rational reason for it.

I don't know when I realized this, but I've been using it for years as a director. When an actor needs to cry on stage, for instance, and has trouble mustering tears, I don't ask them to think of a time when their dog died or any such nonsense - I walk them through recreating the physical sensations that, for them, presage and accompany tears. Works every time.

[the-xtina.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to know it's not just me.  And that's a good idea!