Whatyour hands are sweating and your heart is racingNot only is it not harmful when you’re trying to reach an agreement, it can be beneficial, according to a new study from the Sloan School of Business Administration and Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is the conclusion reached by Ashley D. Brown and her colleagues through an experiment in which several subjects had to negotiate their working conditions. Theparticipants who were predisposed to negotiate and who walked while they did so, sweating and thus increasing the rate of their heart, they achievedmore favorable economic treatmentthan those who, with the same attitude, remained seated and relaxed. In contrast, those who had a negative attitude towards negotiation did worse if they moved than if they stayed still.
Researchers conclude in the journalPsychological Science that the effects of physical arousal when negotiating depend on asubjective interpretation. People who do not want to face the challenge of making a deal identify sweating and increased heart rate as signs of nervousness that hurt them, and as a result they suggest themselves and make it worse. However, those who have a favorable attitude interpret this excitement as a positive sign that prompts them to put all their skills into play and to give the best of themselves.
Therefore, the studydisproves the idea that “you have to relax” before engaging in a negotiation. Even, according to the authors speculate, it is possible that a little sweat on our hands and tachycardia does not hurt us when we participate in a sports competition, face an exam or speak in public.
