We feel what we feel

New research has shown that the physical feel of incidental objects in your surroundings, such as the chair you are sitting in, can affect how you emotionally feel about things that are happening to you. The research has been done by psychologists from Harvard, Yale and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and it shows that touch is an underrated sense when it comes to influences on behaviour. Variations in input to your others senses such as colour (visual), smells (olfactory) or music (aural) are all accepted as having the capacity to alter your mood. This study shows that touch can have just as much power when it comes to altering your perceptions. In fact the “study” involved a series of experiments aimed at evaluating how the weight, texture, and hardness of objects can influence your subconscious mind and therefore effect your judgements about unrelated events. One experiment involved giving people a resume to evaluate, the only difference between the resumes being that they were either on a light or heavy clipboard. People judged candidates whose CVs were presented on a heavy clipboard as being better qualified and more serious about the position. In another experiment people were given a jigsaw puzzle to complete that had either rough or smooth pieces. When they were then told a story about a social interaction those who had handled the rough pieces were more likely to describe the interaction as harsh and unco-ordinated. In yet another piece of research people were seated in either hard or soft chairs and engaged in mock haggling over the price of a car. People seated in hard chairs were less flexible and showed less movement between offers. It all goes to show that touch provides information to us about the world from which we build a framework for our social judgements and decisions. Greetings involving touch like handshakes and kisses may significantly impact your social interactions and controlling the physical environment becomes highly important for negotiators, politicians and job seekers to name a few. Certainly, the next time you submit your CV for a job if you want to appear a really serious candidate, try carving it in granite; it will be difficult to email as an attachment but it will add weight to your application.Meanwhile if you visit Meijer Ad that contains mostly likewise discounts with Winn Dixie Ad you surely have a range like ALDI Ad.