In the field of psychology, “self-instruction” is often called the technique of talking to ourselves in order to reinforce behavior and face a task that causes us discomfort , such as an exam or a presentation in public: “I’m going to study at background theme 1 “,” I am going to start with an anecdote and then I get into it “,” it will work out for me, I’m sure “… It is also recommended to treat impulsive children and patients with various psychological disorders, such as pictures of anxiety or schizophrenia. But is there any difference if we refer to ourselves in the third person – “Alfonso, you can” – just like Napoleon and other heroes in history did?
Well, although it seems like a delusion of grandeur, researchers from the Universities of Michigan and the State of Michigan, in the United States, suggest that it is an excellent and simple method of self-control , as they explain in the journal Scientific Reports.
Let’s take the following example. You’ve had a bad day at work, you look in the mirror and ask yourself, by way of self-instruction, “Why am I upset?” It may help you, but American experts think it would be more emotionally effective if you said: “Ricardo – replace here with each other’s name – why are you upset?” .
This is how Jason Moser, associate professor of psychology at Michigan State University, explains: “If we refer to ourselves in the third person, it is something like thinking about other people, and we found evidence of this in brain activity. It helps to take a little psychological distance from our experiences , which is often helpful in controlling emotions. “
Less emotional reactions
The experts came to this conclusion after carrying out two experiments . In the first one, carried out at the Clinical Psychophysiology Lab (directed by Moser himself), the volunteers had to contemplate neutral and unpleasant images – such as, for example, a man pointing a gun at them – and then express themselves first or foremost. third person while the scientists examined the reaction of their brains using an EEG. Thus, they saw that brain activity linked to emotions declined very rapidly – in just one second – when the individual referred to himself in the third person.
In addition, Moser collaborators measured the mental work involved in using one or the other verbal person, to verify that both practices required little effort and that there were no appreciable differences between them.
In the second experiment, led by Professor Ethan Kross, participants were invited to report painful experiences from their past , in first and third person, while visualizing how their neurons behaved, this time using the magnetic resonance technique. functional (FMRI). The results were very similar: the areas of the gray mass most linked to emotions were lit less when the subjects recounted their memories referring to themselves as if they were someone else.
“If confirmed,” says Kross, “these findings would have profound implications for our basic understanding of emotion control and help us find new ways to deal with them in people’s day-to-day lives.” And, consequently, to keep stress at bay.
