Monkey See, Monkey Do?

Monkey See, Monkey Do?

I was recently drawn to an article in Science Daily about the role of 'mirror neurons' in Human Behaviour.  Below is an article that summarises the most recent discoveries and seeks to clarify the myths around these interesting brain cells, which were once believed to hold the key to conditions like autism and the development of human language.  In addition, they were believed to allow us to observe and understand behaviours or movements we observed in others, without having to repeat them ourselves.  In other words, 'mirror neurons' were believed to be crucial to our ability to mimic, as well as learn from others.  In the research cited at the end of this article, it is this function and not their role in language and understanding that best defines 'mirror neurons'.

I started to reflect on what I understood about human learning and how habits are acquired.  Mimicry is one of the first pre-requisites for any habit, in fact we often need to experience someone else's behaviour before we acquire it.  Babies watch adults and older children walking and begin to mimic this behaviour until they have acquired, through trial and error, the requisite co-ordination and skills to walk.  In fact one of the simplest ways to help a baby go from crawling to walking, is to put them in a room with another child of a similar age who is already walking.  The non-walking baby observes the behaviour and mirrors it.

As a hypnotherapist, I know a similar process occurs in the adoption of habits like smoking, drug taking, alcohol consumption and gambling.  Much work has been done in recent years about the contagious nature of behaviour, and how our friend's habits are likely to determine our own.  Body weight is something that is often reflected amongst family members and groups of friends, as both the behaviours of eating, and exercising are mimicked by children and spouses.

Another discovery is that the very experience of constantly being around people with either a higher or lower than normal body-weight resets an individual's sense of body size, and in the longer term, may induce Body Dismorphic Syndrome (where an individual seriously misperceives the size and proportions of their body).  This resets an individuals sense of what is normal.

So amongst populations of teenage girls not only is there a risk of anorexic or binge behaviours being mimicked, but the very perception of the body is shifted by mimicry.  Likewise in populations where obesity is the norm, new members of a community may alter their perception of their own body as a result of this new norm.

It now seems that 'mirror neurons' are at the root of this apparently 'contagious' behaviour.

Of course mimicry is also essential in all the positive habits that fill our lives. This got me wondering about how important mimicry is when we go through the process of conscious habit change, that is replacing one habit with a new one that is more productive.

In previous blogs and newsletters I've discussed the steps to ensure permanent habit change, and I've included these below.

What I want to add to this list is the crucial step of spending time with people who have achieved what you want to achieve, to switch on the powerful effect of our 'mirror neurons' in shaping behaviour.

This is where mentoring becomes extremely important.  Find a mentor who has achieved what you are aiming for.  Donate your time and services for free to spend time absorbing their behaviours and attitudes.  Buy them lunch or dinner and ask them about how they achieved their goals and then watch them at work, or pay them for direct one-on-one mentoring.

As a manager in the work-place, a sporting coach or parent, spend time exhibiting the behaviours you want in your staff, team or children.  The power of the 'mirror neuron' is switched on by seeing rather than hearing.   There is something about watching someone's behaviour that switches on these cells, where being told what to do does not.

So harness the power of your own 'mirror neurons' to acquire new desired skills and behaviours, and leverage the 'mirror neurons' of people you influence by demonstrating the behaviours you want them to mimic.

Ideas Into Action: 10 Steps to Permanent Behaviour Change:
 
1. Reward the goal
The key message here is - attach a reward to your new habit or goal - make the reward personal, and make it something that brings a smile to your face every time you think about getting your reward.  Our cells respond to pleasure even more than pain - use this to your advantage.

2. Write it down
Next, write your new habit or goal down as if it is already achieved.  This is one of the most important steps in setting goals that stick.  Write your goal down in the present tense, as if it is already achieved, and you are expressing your gratitude (to yourself) for sticking to it.  This kind of goal is called an affirmation - it literally affirms the intent of your goal.  This gives you clarity and focuses your intent - which is essential.

3. Use emotive language in present tense
Your affirmation needs to use emotive language that feels good to you - it needs to paint a picture in words of how you'll feel, and how life will be when the goal is achieved.  And each affirmation needs to include only one goal.  You can have multiple affirmations, but keep each goal specific.

Here's an example of an affirmation I wrote for a client who wanted to make better food choices and exercise in order to lose weight and stay healthy.  This was a wellbeing goal.

"I am slim and slender, lean and fit.  Every day I nourish myself with healthy food choices, pure water, and fresh air.  I enjoy exercising because I love the benefits it provides to my body, and it feels so good to be fit and full of energy.  I honour my body through every choice I make throughout my day, and give thanks for this amazing body I have been given.  I am slim and slender, lean and fit."

Emotive language charges up your cells, which switches on DNA.

4. Say it out loud often
Next you need to say the affirmation out loud - about 10 times a day if you can manage it, and for about 30 days.  It takes about 28 days for a new habit to be locked in - so I say 30 days to be safe.  Read your affirmation with energy and passion.  Even if you feel it isn't true, or can't be true - read it as if it already is.  Your subconscious mind lives in an eternal present - so it gives priority to things that are immediate, rather than future time.  Writing your affirmation and saying it as if it is already a reality, now - will make it a priority, or command for the subconscious mind.   This is why wishing and hoping doesn't work - they both put the things you want into future time - which never comes.  Your cells and DNA are listening to you - within your DNA, somewhere, are the codes to make this goal easier - you just have to give your cells the command to open the right book in your DNA library.

5. Find a role model
Mimic the behaviour of people who are successfully doing what you want to do.  Observe them at work or play in the desired behaviours and allow those magic 'mirror neurones' in your brain to absorb the behaviour.  Conversely, stay away from those who exhibit the behaviour or habits you wish to leave behind.

6. Visualise the goal using all your senses
The next step is to visualise yourself in the new habit, achieving the goal.  Close your eyes and allow your mind to wander forward to a time when you have mastered this goal, changed the habit and reclaimed this part of your life.  Imagine in detail how good that will feel, what it will look like, sound like, taste like even.  Collect pictures from magazines of people who have achieved this goal, and put them in a scrap book or poster.

Your cells and DNA will turn this day dream into a programme if you do it often enough.   Eventually the new programme will replace any older, outdated behavioural programmes.

7. Break the goal down into steps - actions that you need to take to get from where you are to where you want to be
It's not enough to want something, we have to align our actions to our intent.  The more you do this, the quicker your goal will be achieved, and the more permanent the change.  So work out what people who have achieved this goal do - read about them, talk to them, get a coach, whatever you need to break the goal down into steps that you can approach one, by one.  Make these behaviours part of your day.  Repeat them every day for 30 days to lock them in. That’s when they become a habit.

When you were a toddler and learned to walk - you took one step, then another.   Over time this turned into walking, and eventually running.  All goals need to be approached the same way, so your nervous system can learn, become familiar with the steps, and eventually make them unconscious - or second nature, turning them into unconscious mind maps to drive the wanted behaviour and replace the unwanted maps.

8. Enjoy the reward
Once you've reached your first milestone - celebrate.  Take the reward you planned, and write a new affirmation thanking yourself for the steps you've taken to get you there.  As you enjoy the reward, keep associating the pleasure with the new behaviour - i.e not smoking, eating more healthily, exercising, saving money, being more organised, listening actively, delegating tasks etc.

Remember the pleasure principle is a very powerful biological and psychological driver.

9. Stay Vigilant
My last tip is to remember to never get cocky about old behaviours.  If you've given up smoking, don't think you can have one and it will be okay. The old behaviours don't need much encouragement to rear their ugly heads.  It's much easier to stay 'on the wagon' than to fall off and have to climb back on.  However, if you do slip and fall back into old habits - revisit the 8 steps above, and if you need to, get the assistance of a mentor, coach or hypnotherapist.



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Monkey See, Monkey Do? The Role of Mirror Neurons in Human Behaviour

ScienceDaily (Aug. 2, 2011) — We are all familiar with the phrase "monkey see, monkey do" -- but have we actually thought about what it means? Over the last two decades, neuroscience research has been investigating whether this popular saying has a real basis in human behavior.

Over twenty years ago, a team of scientists, led by Giacomo Rizzolatti at the University of Parma, discovered special brain cells, called mirror neurons, in monkeys. These cells appeared to be activated both when the monkey did something itself and when the monkey simply watched another monkey do the same thing.

The function of such mirror neurons in humans has since become a hot topic. In the latest issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, a team of distinguished researchers debate whether the mirror neuron system is involved in such diverse processes as understanding speech, understanding the meaning of other people's actions, and understanding other people's minds.

Understanding Speech

The mirror neuron system probably plays some role in how we understand other people's speech, but it's likely that this role is much smaller than has been previously claimed. In fact, the role is small enough that it's unlikely that mirror neurons would be causal factors in our ability to understand speech. Mirror neuron-related processes may only contribute to understanding what another person is trying to say if the room is very noisy or there are other complications to normal speech perception conditions.

Understanding Actions

Mirror neurons are believed to play a critical role in how and why we understand other people's actions. There are many physical actions, like Tiger Woods' golf swing, that we ourselves can't do, but we understand those actions anyway. However, contrary to what some mirror neuron proponents have suggested, doing isn't required for understanding. In fact, neuroimaging data reviewed in this article demonstrate that the actions we ourselves have the most experience doing -- the actions we are best at doing and understand best -- actually show less mirror neuron activity. Such findings suggest a need to reappraise the role of mirror neurons in guiding how we understand actions.

Understanding Minds

One of the most powerful roles suggested for the mirror neuron system in humans is that of understanding not just other people's physical actions or speech, but their minds and their intentions. It has been suggested that some persons, such as persons with autism, have difficulty understanding other people's minds and, therefore, might lack mirror neurons. However, numerous research studies reviewed in this article consistently show that persons with autism are highly capable of understanding the intentions of other people's actions, suggesting that our intuitions about persons with autism and mirror neurons needs to be revised.
This article presents some of the toughest questions asked about mirror neurons to date. The answers to those questions, guided by hundreds of research studies, clarify the limits of the function of mirror neurons in humans.
The article is entitled, "Mirror Neuron Forum."
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Cited from the Association for Psychological Science. "Monkey see, monkey do? The role of mirror neurons in human behavior." ScienceDaily, 2 Aug. 2011. Web. 5 Aug. 2011.