Super self-control: not being a slave to habit

Chapter 19

The first recorded scientific studies of laughter date back to the 19th century.At the time, French scientist Guillaume Bologne used electrodiagnostics and electrical stimulation to distinguish a genuine knowing smile from other types of smiles.He studied the way facial muscles contracted by analyzing the heads of people who had been decapitated at the guillotine.He pulled the facial muscles from different angles to classify the facial muscles and the various smiles their contraction elicited.He found that a person's smile is controlled by two sets of muscle tissue: the zygomatic muscle can make the mouth grin slightly, the lips are pulled back, the teeth are exposed, the cheeks are lifted, and then the smile is pulled to the corners of the eyes; and The orbicularis oculi muscle can contract the muscles around the eyes to make the eyes smaller and wrinkles appear at the corners of the eyes, which is what we often call "crow's feet".

Understanding the function of these musculature is important for us to properly understand other people's smiles.Because the musculature, mainly the zygomatic muscle, is controlled by our consciousness.Professor Ruth Campbell of London College believes that there is a kind of "reflex neuron" in our brain.It not only prompts the brain to recognize facial expressions and movements, but also instructs the facial muscles to make facial movements similar to the expressions seen.

In other words, when we want to appear friendly or courteous, we can consciously command this part of the muscle to contract to produce a smile even when nothing is happening to make us happy.This kind of smile may be hypocritical, but if you imagine yourself entering a happy situation and feeling happy emotions, this signal will be sent to the area of ​​the brain that regulates emotions, producing a comfortable and pleasant emotion.This emotion causes your mouth muscles to contract, your lips to grin slightly, and your cheeks to lift. At the same time, your eyes will also produce fine lines due to muscle contraction, and your eyebrows will also sink slightly, resulting in a sincere smile.

Therefore, when we are troubled, we might as well "put on" a smiling face, recall more happy times, and motivate ourselves with a smile.As the British novelist Eliot said: "Behavior can change life, just as life should determine behavior."

Self-control expert hot comment
A fake smile can touch the diaphragm in the body and has a good warm-up effect.It is like inserting the car key into the car, as long as the key is twisted, the engine will work.The same is true for fake smiles. When you fake a smile, the diaphragm in your body will trigger the fake smile into a real one.Before you know it, you're laughing out loud.When you are angry, you can find a mirror and try to smile in front of the mirror. After a few minutes, your mood will really improve.

Body posture ensures strong self-control
The various controlling behaviors described in the previous chapters are things that consume willpower.Are all small actions, small actions, "consumers"?Of course not, some small conscious actions are also "producers" of self-control.

Let us study these movements and postures of the body, observe their process and recognize their meaning, and then use them intentionally to improve our body self-control. Once we know the secret and use it skillfully, we will Benefited a lot.Therefore, you must not only know how to control unconscious muscle movements and bring your body under the control of conscious functions, but also bring your muscle movements under the direct control of consciousness.

Stretching: Unblocking the pipeline of vitality

If we look closely at the action of stretching, it is not difficult to find that it requires a total of two steps: first, stretch the limbs; second, retract or tense the limbs—the opposite direction of stretching.After doing these two consecutive steps, you will feel more comfortable.

In the process of stretching and retracting, our body seems to be unblocking something, just like a blocked pipe must be unblocked.When the channels are unblocked, the energy of life—self-control of the body—moves between the nerve plexuses in the brain, abdomen, and waist. If the channels are blocked, it is easy to cause insufficient vitality to the muscles and cells, and yawn, Stretching and stretching all these actions are dredging the channels of vitality.This is the secret to strong body control, which is why some people have great body control.

What do truly self-controlled people do?Do they wait to unclog the pipes when they are already clogged?Obviously not, they always keep the pipes open all the time.When we carefully observe the body posture of those with strong aura, we can see the deformation of yawning and slouching, which is the best way to eliminate fatigue. People with strong self-control use these postures unconsciously.

Straighten the spine and tighten the waist: Squeeze out vitality

The spine on the body is the largest channel connecting the brain and the body. It is full of nerve bundles. A curved spine will make people feel lifeless; the sacral plexus is the most densely populated place on the body. We must pass through the tightened waist, To "squeeze" the life force out of the sacral plexus, which is why soldiers are always asked to keep their backs straight and their hips raised.

Hold your head high: Absorb positive energy
The state of holding your head high is a god-given posture. Due to our acquired adverse effects, such as sitting at a desk for a long time, plus people’s bad habits, and not knowing how to adjust in time, some physical problems will appear over time: hips sagging, walking Procrastination and so on.These flaws not only make people look super sloppy, but also make people lack vitality.The biggest advantage of holding your head high is to produce a positive psychological suggestion.The shrunken body shape is a manifestation of weakness, resistance and negative coping, and paying attention to correcting the chest from time to time can also ensure that the brain maintains quick thinking and good memory, and avoids "brain failure".

A raised head and a raised chest are necessary body postures to enhance self-control, and they are also a clear sign of positive energy.Imagine a rope tied above your head pulling you upwards.This is a bit like our ancient Chinese saying, "the head cantilevered with a cone stabbing the thigh".This straight posture will give you confidence, and you will feel as if sitting and standing upright make you grow inches in the blink of an eye.

Tighten the lower abdomen: enhance vitality

Everyone knows that when we participate in military training, we are asked to raise our shoulders, chest, head, hips, and abdomen.Many people find this request to be inexplicable.

The navel is the main point on the Ren meridian of the human body, and it is also the place where the nerves are most dense in the body.It is the Yang point on Ren Meridian, and Mingmen is the Yang Point on Du Meridian. The two points are connected back and forth, and the combination of Yin and Yang is where the life energy of the human body is located.Human body science research shows that Shenque acupoint is the only hidden part of innate true breath. People can activate human fetal breath and restore vitality through exercise.Around the navel is where the vitality of a person is located. If the lower abdomen hangs down, it will leak air.Even people with big bellies sometimes consciously tighten their stomachs.You can engage your lower abs inwards and upwards at any time—you can do ab-tummy exercises during walks, car rides, and lunch breaks.Focus on the abdomen and tighten it as hard as possible, feeling as if the belly button is close to the back, and maintain this state for 15 seconds.

These exercises allow you to increase and change your old body expression habits. The key point is that the exercises must consist of several trivial, familiar and monotonous movements, and the attention must be focused on the moving parts.The habits of your mind and body rebel against its grip and try to break away from it as much as possible.This is where the training comes in, from beginning to end, not letting the habits you've developed seduce you.Before long, you'll notice that you have better control over your muscle movements, posture, and behavior.

Self-control expert hot comment
Paying attention to small body movements is not a big deal.Our body thinks this is the best way to improve our physical self-control.This kind of stretching must not be interpreted as a sign of laziness, sleepiness, or fatigue, because it is caused by our body feeling the lack of vitality, and these postures can most effectively restore our life energy.

body language quiz

What body language do you use when you're upset?

The test begins:
A．Press cheeks, head, hair

B．nail biting
C．Clenched hands

D．Tilt your head to one side, put your head in your hands

E．biting lip
F．hands crossed

Test Results:

Forgetting to bring the keys or forgetting to turn off the electric light and gas. In short, when you find something wrong, you press your cheeks with both hands without thinking. .

When anxiety increases, it is not enough to use fingers alone, so I start to bite my nails and knuckles, and even bite my fingertips into jagged shapes.

I hold my own hands tightly, one of which represents myself, and the other hand represents the person I admire most in my heart. Sometimes when I am nervous, I will unconsciously hold my hand tightly, which means "I hope that both hands will hold myself tightly." the mighty hand of theIn the most tense moments, there are often sweaty palms, bloodless fingers, and stiff clenches.

The hand holding the cheek is the soft and warm shoulder or chest of the comforting mother or lover. In short, holding the head means hoping to be embraced or comforted by the lover.

Use the fingertips of the index finger and thumb to touch the lips, one side wants to overcome anxiety, and one side can get a stable performance. The finger is a substitute for the mother's nipple. When a person is a baby, he can get a sense of stability from sucking the nipple, and it is also for emotional stability. Just touch your lips with your finger.

The movement of crossing hands is like the mother would coddle and shake when a baby was frightened and cried, but when he feels frustrated and there is no one around, this kind of movement will occur.Another kind of crossed hands is when there is a sense of defense. Crossed hands can have a defensive effect on the opponent.

(End of this chapter)