FOR AN OPEN MIND,
PLAY: PALMS UP
What to do: Hands open, turn your
palms to face the ceiling, and count
to 15. Before you finish, you should
start to notice a more open mind-set.
Why it works: Researchers credit
a phenomenon called embodied
cognition for this powerful mind-body
effect, in which our brains take
mental cues from physical gestures.
When we offer someone a helping
hand, ask for help, or prepare to
receive something, our palms are
upturned; when we reject something
or push someone away, our palms
face out. Thousands of years of these
human interactions may leave us
biologically primed to draw openness
from upturned palms. -JANE MCGONIGAL
60 | 09•2016 | rd.com