3 Ways to change the mood

So instead of saying “I’m stressed”, which can cause the heart to race, say “you are stressed,” he said. This throws you into the role of “someone else” and can facilitate you feel more compassion and empathy.

“This somewhat strange, seemingly tiny language change is consistent,” he writes.

Your senses are an emotional superpower.

Dr. Kross studies have shown that some of the “most straightforward” tools that you can employ to change emotions are sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste.

Our brain Reply almost immediately Dr. Kross said that for sensory experience – and we can employ our senses as “emotional levers” to change our mood. He calls our sense of touch, for example, “neuronous projectile train”. When the touch is “tender but not terrifying,” he said: Activates a positive, improving the mood of the reaction.

For example, if you feel nervous after a bad day, Embrace Or patting the dog It can lower the level of stress hormone cortisol. And research suggests sniffing pleasant smell like coffee It can reduce stress. MAYBE Viewing the photo nature scene.

You can also intentionally use music regulate your emotions. Dr. Kross said that he now sees his car radio as a “emotion regulation machine” that provides infinite options for changing mood. And he admitted that a list of playback gathered to undo it, contained the song “Don’t Stop Believin”, Journey.

When it comes to using these strategies, Dr. Kross warned that there was no universal solution. “Different tools for different people in different situations,” he said. In his case, “a trashy song from the 1980s is one of the tools I employ,” he said: “Don’t judge.”