In this post, we’ll unpack all you need to know about mirror neurons, defining exactly what they are, how and why they influence our behaviour, how to harness them and more.
What Are Mirror Neurons?
Mirror neurons (MN) are a set of brain cells that activate either when we perform an action ourselves or when we observe an action being performed by someone else.
How They Work
Mirror neurons are the reason we ‘mirror’ people’s thoughts, feelings and actions.
For example, have you ever observed someone yawning and then felt the urge to yawn yourself? That’s MN.
When you yawn, there are certain cells in your brain that are activated. When you observe someone else yawning, those same cells in your brain are activated. Thus, you feel the urge to yawn yourself.
The Evolutionary Perspective
From an evolutionary perspective, mirror neurons provided us with the ability to learn through imitation and understand the intentions, emotions and actions of others. This enhanced our ability to successfully fit into tribes and ultimately survive and reproduce.
How To Leverage Them
The key to leveraging mirror neurons is to surround ourselves with people who are already getting the results we want. In doing so, we will instinctively model the behaviours necessary to achieve the same results.
For example, if you want to be physically in shape, surround yourself with people who already in shape. In doing so, you’ll imitate their behaviours and achieve the same results.
Interestingly, one study showed that waitresses who mirrored their customers; comments increased their tips by 50%.
“Success leaves clues, and if you sow the same seeds, you’ll reap the same rewards.” — Brad Thor
Summary (TL;DR)
Mirror neurons are brain cells that activate when we either perform an action ourselves or when we observe an action being performed by someone else.
We can harness the power of MR by surrounding ourselves with people who have already achieved our goals and the life we desire. By doing so, we will imitate and cultivate the behaviours that are necessary to create the same results ourselves.
