Experience expansive

“To direct the mind towards the basic unity of all things and to divert it from the seizing of differences –

therein lies bliss.” – Tejo-bindu Upanishad

I’ve mostly lived life liking things rather defined and tidy: it’s either black or white, good or bad, right or wrong. In the past decade though, it seems numerous invitations to step into a different perspective have been presented to me. Rather than mostly finding delineation, I’m more aware of blurred edges, have more questions than answers, need to confront paradoxical truths, and am willing to consider “both/and” instead of this or that.

[Just for fun, each time you’re about to use the word “but” try substituting the word “and” - giving attention to how it feels or changes up your perspective. “But” usually negates, right? “And” usually includes. For example, “I want to take a vacation, but I’m too busy.” Is there a way to do both? To honor the desire to take a break along with recognizing the busyness? To make adjustments rather than discount the options?]

In the moments when I don’t cling to “this or that,” I’m finding freedom in holding more than one option (that some have named non-dualistic thinking, rather than a dualistic approach). It seems more expansive, it widens my horizons.

• Like while traveling last month: in experiencing unfamiliar people and locations and being faced with questioning status quo, I found opportunity to be more open, and to listen to and learn from others.
  

• Like while reading Barbara Frederickson’s book “Positivity”: I am reminded that yes, life holds plenty of negatives that I need not deny, AND I can cultivate what is positive. I’m learning that positive emotions (pleasing yet fleeting moments of joy, serenity, gratitude, amusement, interest, hope, self-assurance, inspiration, awe, love) change mindset and biochemistry that contribute to creative connections, oneness, and an openness of mind and heart. {This is not so surprising, but what does intrigue me is the degree of effect and scientific consistency of research findings. For more, follow this link to see a succinct overview of the benefits, or read **Positivity (below). Plus, this 6-minute Youtube video gives a good summary and links to other positivity presentations.

• Like while digesting an article on mind/body interactions, I discover that dissonance (such as, when facial expressions or posture depart from how we feel) contributes to expansive thinking, and provides an opportunity for creative, new insights.

Follow the article link or check out ** Dissonance and more (below).

[In the words below, I am fascinating again by the reality that truly our even unintentional physical actions or facial expressions influence the way we think, and that certainly emotions influence how we think!]

Before you read on (if you read on, that is), please accept my wishes for you to experience expansiveness in a variety of ways this summer: I hope for you to know and live openness, creativity, serenity, joy, gratitude, awe... all kinds of goodness and love.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

- Galatians 5:22-23a

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* Dissonance and more (from Mar 11, 2011 online Scientific American article)

“When facial expressions or posture depart from how we feel, we experience what two psychologists at Northwestern University, Li Huang and Adam Galinsky, call mind–body dissonance. And in a fascinating new paper, they show that such awkward clashes between mind and body can actually be useful: they help us think more expansively… Expansive thought can be regarded a kind of creativity, and an opportunity for new insights...

In a clever series of studies, they developed a way to get people’s facial expressions to depart from their emotional experiences. Participants were asked to either hold a pen between their teeth, forcing an unwitting smile, or to affix two golf tees in a particular position on their foreheads, unwittingly forcing an expression of sadness. While in these facial configurations, subjects were asked to recall happy and sad events or listen to happy and sad music.

The team found that people are more likely to consider a camel a vehicle (rather than merely an animal) in conditions where their expressions different from the emotions caused by music or autobiographical memories. In a further study they showed that this effect is not limited to facial expressions and emotions. They asked people to play either dominant or submissive roles in a game, while sitting in postural positions that have been shown in other research to reflect power or weakness. Once again, the dissonance between mind—feeling dominant in a game—and body—sitting in a constricted position—lead to more expansive thinking.

These curious findings have some significant implications. They back up a growing body of evidence that cognition is “embodied,” meaning that our physical actions directly influence the way we think. For example, Arthur Glenberg and Michael Kaschak have demonstrated that we have difficulty understanding sentences when we have to simultaneously perform actions that are in conflict with those sentences.

The new research also adds support to work showing that facial expressions influence our emotions. For example, Fritz Strack and collaborators have that people rate cartoons as more funny if they are forced to smile. Participants in the Huang and Galinsky studies reported that their facial configurations influenced their moods, confirming that emotions are intimately connected to the body. There is also a large body of evidence showing that emotions (affected by physical unpleasantries) influence how we think. For example, in another new study, Kendall Eskine shows that drinking bitter beverages can lead people to make more negative moral judgments.

Huang and Galinksy’s work contributes by showing that conflicts between the emotions created by the body and the emotions elicited by other sources, such as music and memory, do not just influence what we think, but how we think. Earlier research by Alice Isen has linked positive feelings to creative thinking styles, and this work shows that a special form of creativity—expansive thought—can be enhanced by emotional conflict.

The most exciting aspect of this work is that Huang and Galinksy find that mind–body dissonance has a positive payoff, even though it can feel unpleasant. There are conditions under which is it good for us, not just polite, to express emotions that differ from how we are feeling. For example, William James said that putting on a happy face helped him cope with debilitating depression. Perhaps expression therapy can join pharmacology in the battle against the blues. We can also increase empathy for others by mimicking their expressions, even when we don’t share their feelings.

Now Huang and Galinsky have discovered a new benefit to adopting expressions that don’t originate from within. Doing so leads us to think more flexibly: our categories become more inclusive. This may help with creative problem-solving, as well as social conflicts. For example, prejudice often derives from the use of stereotypes, but mind–body dissonance leads people to kick away the crutch of stereotypes and think expansively.”

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*“Positivity:

"First, when we experience a positive emotion, our vision literally expands, allowing us to make creative connections, see our oneness with others, and face our problems with clear eyes (a.k.a. the broaden effect). Second, as we make a habit of seeking out these pleasing states, we change and grow, becoming better versions of ourselves, developing the tools we need to make the most out of life (the build effect). And strikingly, these twin benefits of positive emotions obey a tipping point: When positive emotions outnumber negative emotions by at least 3 to 1, these benefits accrue, yet below this same ratio, they don't.”

"80% of Americans fall short of the ideal 3-to-1 positivity ratio. Click here to take Dr. Fredrickson’s 2-minute on-line quiz and see how you score."

[Sadly, when I did this after a weekend with my mom who is facing heart surgery and my sister who recently lost her husband, my ratio was 1.8 to 1, a far cry from 3 to 1... I have some redirecting to do...]