Psychology of Movement: Bidirectional Link between Movement and Emotion
Our movement through space and time isn't merely a reflection of our inner state—it actively creates and shapes how we feel, just as our feelings shape how we move. This bidirectional relationship forms a continuous feedback loop between body and mind.
From Movement to Emotion:
When we adopt expansive postures, walk with purpose, or dance freely, we don't just express confidence or joy—we generate these feelings. Research shows that voluntary facial action such as simply smiling could both amplify and initiate feelings of happiness (study). Our bodies teach our minds how to feel. The way we navigate physical space—whether we stride or shuffle, reach out or pull back—sends signals to our brain about our emotional state, which then becomes our experienced reality.
From Emotion to Movement:
Conversely, our internal landscape choreographs our external journey. Sadness literally weighs us down, slowing our gait and rounding our shoulders. Anxiety quickens our pace and tightens our muscles. Fear freezes us in place or propels us into flight. Our emotions are not abstract concepts but embodied experiences that manifest through how we occupy and move through space.
The Temporal Dimension:
Our movement patterns create temporal rhythms that influence our mental state: rushed movements fragment our attention, while slow, deliberate actions can induce calm and presence.
Conclusion
This bidirectional flow means we're never passive recipients of our emotional states. By consciously changing how we move—slowing our breath, changing out posture and patterns and speed—we can shift our internal state.
Understanding this intimate dialogue between movement and emotion offers us a profound tool for wellbeing: we can enter the conversation from either door, knowing that a change in one inevitably transforms the other.
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