Mirroring - How We Build RapportMirroring the other person's body language and appearance
shows a united front and doesn't let either get one-up on the otherMirroring on a Cellular LevelAmerican heart surgeon, Dr Memhet Oz, reported some
remarkable findings from heart recipients. He found that, as
with most other body organs, the heart appears to retain cel-
lular memories, and this allows some patients to experience
some of the emotions experienced by the heart donor. Even
more remarkably, he found some recipients also assume the
same gestures and posture of the donor even though they have
never seen the donor. His conclusion was that it appears that
the heart cells instruct the recipient's brains to take on the
donor's body language. Conversely, people suffering from dis-
orders such as autism have no ability to mirror or match the
behaviour of others, which makes it difficult for two-way com-
munication with others. The same goes for drunk people
whose gestures are out of sync with their words, making it
impossible for any mirroring to occur.
Because of the phenomenon of cause and effect, if you
intentionally assume certain body language positions you will
begin to experience the emotions associated with those ges-
tures. For example, if you feel confident, you may