Emotional “After Effects” – How to Use Them For Your Advantage

Researchers at NYU have discovered that “How we remember events is not just a consequence of the external world we experience, but is also strongly influenced by our internal states–and these internal states can persist and color future experiences.” Furthermore, “These findings make clear that our cognition is highly influenced by preceding experiences and, specifically, that emotional brain states can persist for long periods of time.”

Said in another way, how we experience events is partially based on our current state.  Or, how we remember the past, is based on our present energy state.

Researchers also discovered these elevated states of high emotion prime the brain, and those effects improve your cognition of non-emotional events. Knowing this, you can use this to your advantage.  If you want to remember something or be more engaged, put yourself into a higher emotional state before you learn. You can prime your system with images of beautiful things or loved ones.  You can play or sing inspiring music. For instance, Tony Robbins starts each day “Priming” his physiology with high energy appreciations.

We cannot change the external world, “events” happen, but we can choose the type of thoughts, and emotions we have.  We can choose the type of people in which we surround ourselves, we can choose the type of media we engage with. Each of those choices either puts us in a high emotional state of happiness and appreciation, or an emotional state of depression and withdrawal. Which will you choose?

Dr. Brian