Insight is the ability to understand and interpret the reality we perceive. Often it also has to do with things that we feel, but that we cannot explain. Learn to be more insightful by analyzing people's body language, relying on your intuition, listening carefully, and practicing meditation.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Reading the Body Language
Step 1. Learn about body language
90% of human communication is non-verbal. A person's body language can be intentional or unconscious, and it is both innate and acquired. It indicates how a person feels, but it can vary from one culture to another. Those discussed in this article are about body language signs in Western cultures.
Step 2. Understand the six facial expressions
Psychologists have classified six involuntary facial expressions that they consider to be nearly universal across all cultures. It is about joy, sadness, surprise, fear, disgust and anger. Each has its own manifestations or signals and can reveal a person's mood. However, remember that they are often transient and that some people manage to mask them very well.
- Joy is manifested by raising or lowering the corners of the mouth.
- Sadness is revealed by lowering the corners of the mouth and raising the inner ends of the eyebrows.
- The surprise is shown when the eyebrows arch, the eyes widen, highlighting the sclera, and the jaw drops slightly.
- Fear is manifested by raising the eyebrows, when the eyes widen after being closed or half open, and when the mouth opens slightly.
- Disgust is communicated by lifting the upper lip, curling the bridge of the nose and lifting the cheekbones.
- Anger occurs when the eyebrows lower, the lips tighten and the eyes widen.
Step 3. Learn to recognize intentions conveyed by eye movements
Many believe that the eyes are the mirror of the soul. This belief has prompted many psychologists and behavioral researchers to investigate and understand if involuntary eye movements mean anything. According to some studies, when a subject is elaborating a thought or a question, it moves them in a predictable way. However, the idea that it is possible to tell if someone is lying based on the direction in which they are moving is a myth. Here's what we know about it.
- Regardless of the direction, eye movement increases when a person is intent on recalling certain information.
- We stare when something interests us. Furthermore, we distract him while we are thinking about something, for example when we have to answer a question. The eyes stop when we try to concentrate, avoiding any distraction.
- The eyes move more quickly from left to right (or vice versa) when we need to solve a problem or process and remember information. The more complicated the problem, the more they move.
- Normally, the eyelids open and close 6-8 times per minute. When a person is under stress, the pace increases dramatically.
- Raised eyebrows can not only reveal fear, but also genuine interest in a topic. If they are frowned, they indicate confusion.
Step 4. Observe the way we move the mouth
According to some researchers, mouth movements reveal a lot about a person's state of mind. For example, pursing the lips indicates anger. Joy, as already mentioned, occurs when the corners of the mouth curve upwards. However, certain studies have found that every smile has a different meaning.
- If it is natural and spontaneous, it arises gradually, does not last long and manifests itself over and over again.
- When it is sincere, the pleasure is expressed through a series of small smiles and folds that form at the corners of the eyes.
- If it's fake, a smile is about 10 times bigger than a spontaneous, natural one. Plus, it arises suddenly, lasts longer than a sincere smile, and disappears quickly.
Step 5. Observe the movements of the head
A person tilts their head when listening to a topic that interests them. Nodding your head indicates attention to the topic of conversation and a desire for the other person to continue talking. On the other hand, touching your forehead or earlobes indicates discomfort, nervousness, or vulnerability.
Step 6. Pay attention to hand and arm movements
People move their hands and arms more than normal when they are talking or answering a question. In addition, they touch objects and whoever is in front of them more often when they answer personal questions or are physically close to their interlocutor.
- Hiding your hands, putting them in your pocket or behind your back, can indicate deception.
- Crossing your arms doesn't always indicate anger, but it can be a defensive stance. It can also mean discomfort in front of your interlocutor.
Step 7. Pay attention to posture and body movements
The gesture of leaning towards another person is an indication of relaxation and interest. It could indicate sympathy. On the other hand, leaning too much towards the other person can be interpreted as a hostile or dominant attitude. Leaning towards the interlocutor, while standing, indicates respect. It is also often a sign of deference.
- The fact of imitating the posture of others tends to consolidate relationships in groups or between people. Tell your interlocutors that you are open to their point of view.
- Standing with your legs apart is the classic posture of those in positions of power or domination.
- A slouching posture indicates boredom, isolation, or embarrassment.
- An upright posture conveys confidence, but it can also express hostility or a sense of integrity.
Part 2 of 4: Listening in an Insightful Way
Step 1. Relax and be aware of what you are hearing
According to some studies, talking raises blood pressure, while listening lowers it. Listening relaxes us, allowing us to pay attention to the things and people around us. Listening in an insightful way goes beyond just paying attention, because it consists of listening to another person, reflecting on what they are saying, and expressing their thoughts.
- It also forces you to think about what the other person is thinking and how they behave while talking.
- It forces you to focus, be aware and present during the conversation, pay attention to the other person's jokes and references, and provide a pertinent opinion on the topic of conversation.
Step 2. Remember that to listen you need to know how to interpret
The need to interpret information can limit the ability to understand the content of a message. Often an interpretation is influenced by life experiences. Therefore, the limit can also be constituted by the type of experiences lived.
This leads to a large margin of errors and misunderstandings as to what people mean
Step 3. Learn to listen insightfully
Listening does not involve an automatic and involuntary response to another person's words. It involves conscious effort and takes practice. The fundamental thing is to respect the interlocutor as a person worthy of being listened to. Whoever listens carefully gives importance and validity to others, improves his relationships and favors the birth of more direct and detailed dialogues in the future. Here are some tips for becoming a shrewd and insightful listener.
- Focus your attention, eliminate all distractions and listen carefully to what is being said to you. If you are not careful, you cannot evaluate a person's reasoning or their true intentions.
- Respond to what the interlocutor says so that he feels like he is being heard and knows that you are understanding his words. This reaction will also allow you to clear up any misunderstandings that may arise during the conversation.
- Don't interrupt the other person when they describe their point of view to you. Wait for a pause or a suggestion from the interlocutor to come spontaneously during the conversation, such as: "What do you think?".
- At an appropriate time, ask a few questions to bring out what the other person hasn't told you.
- Pay attention to the gestures and tone of those in front of you, but also to what they are likely to say. Consider the context in which the message is being delivered and be careful of the unspoken. Intentions are not always expressed openly.
- Don't fill the silences just to avoid them. Give the interlocutor time to reflect on what he or she has in mind and intends to say.
- Be open to statements you disagree with (for example, negative comments and points of view opposite to yours). Let the interlocutor explain himself fully.
- Try to understand and interpret the intent of a message by using the suggestions you have gathered and based on your experiences.
- Do whatever it takes to remember what you heard. It is necessary to memorize the information to evaluate at the moment how they relate to other aspects of the conversation. Later you must also process the information, otherwise, taken in isolation, it can alter your perception and the way you handle the situation.
Step 4. Avoid the obstacles that prevent you from being a discerning listener
Try not to ask questions that begin with "why", as this can put the other person on the defensive. Avoid offering advice on how he should act unless asked. Don't give superficial reassurances, like, "Don't worry about this." This may indicate that you are not listening carefully or that you are not taking the discussion seriously.
Step 5. Learn to listen insightfully into other aspects of life
Listen to the surrounding noises and see how they affect your mood. Notice the moments when you don't hear any noise and stop, close your eyes, relax and concentrate. The more you do this exercise, the more you will become aware of the world around you. It will also help you spot strange, unusual and pleasant sounds and allow you to better understand their meanings, as well as the situations that may accompany them.
Part 3 of 4: Relying on Intuition
Step 1. Know what intuition is and what role it plays in your life
Anyone who has had a "certain feeling" at least once in their life. It seems to come out of nowhere, but it is very clear. This instinctive urge can cause a variety of sensations. It can also lead a person to perceive and understand a certain situation without coming to a logical explanation. Sometimes, it prompts you to do things that you wouldn't otherwise do.
- The famous psychoanalyst Carl Jung said that all people use intuition as if it were part of the four ways used to live. The other three are feelings, thoughts and senses. This distinguishes intuition from other functions, by which it is not determined.
- While many people reject intuition, branding it as nonsense or mere luck, scientists today argue that it is a real ability that has been identified in the lab and in brain scans.
Step 2. Discover the characteristics of an intuitive person
Researchers say everyone is born with intuition, but not everyone is willing to believe it or listen to it. Also, some people are more intuitive than others. This difference may be due to the fact that by nature they have a higher degree of sensitivity. It may be that it depends on having found that this ability of theirs works in their life. It could be because over the years they have learned to notice and grasp small details and subtleties in others and in the surrounding environment.
- Often those who are very intuitive are also particularly attentive to people. You can more easily perceive what others feel.
- Generally, he is guided more by emotions than by a rational analysis of situations.
- He often makes quick and effective decisions. He is able to do this because he uses past experiences and emotions to orient himself.
- More often than not, women are more intuitive than men. It may be that it depends on an evolutionary process that has made female subjects particularly sensitive to human reactions and social stimuli.
- There is evidence that some individuals manage to go far beyond what is considered normal in this field. There are testimonies of people who are aware of events that took place far away, even if they have no knowledge of the events or concrete facts to be able to explain how they learned them.
Step 3. Recognize certain signs
Some scientific studies have shown that people with very keen intuition suffer from alterations in their heart rate and sweat on their hands when they are fooled. According to these researches, it is a reaction to the stress of knowing or unconsciously suspecting that you have been duped. This attitude seems to indicate that instinct manifests itself primarily through physical sensations. The mind grabs quickly, but only later.
Step 4. Learn to develop your intuition
While intuition varies from person to person, there is something you can do to improve it if you are willing to practice and mentally open up. The simplest way is to calm your mind so that you can: a) listen to your inner voice and b) learn to be more attentive to the environment and the people around you.
- Pay attention to the sensations that seem to come out of nowhere and have no logical explanation. The amygdala is a part of the brain from which the instinctive "fight or flight" reaction comes and is able to activate, process and respond to stimuli and information before we even realize their existence. It can also process the subliminal images (and create a reaction in us) that pass before our eyes so quickly that we can't even see them.
- Researchers believe this stems from our distant ancestors' need to quickly collect and evaluate information in order to survive.
- Get plenty of sleep. During the REM phase, the brain solves problems, connects various information to each other and is more in tune with emotions.
- Before going to sleep, take a piece of paper and describe a problem or concern that is bothering you. Think for a while, then let your brain come up with an intuitive solution during REM sleep.
- Distract the conscious part of the mind so that the intuitive part has a chance to work. According to some research, intuitive thinking assimilates information even when we are not consciously paying attention.
- Indeed, it has been shown that decisions made in moments of distraction are often the right ones. If you have a problem or are worried, think about the various alternatives. Then stop and focus on something else. Follow the first solution that comes to your mind.
Step 5. Study the decisions made instinctively in relation to the facts
More and more scientific evidence argues that there is wisdom behind many choices made by instinct. Some factors, such as severe discomfort, can alter the intuitive process and lead to bad decisions. Instinctive reactions and impressions are not always accurate. A smart approach is to listen to your intuition and, at the same time, evaluate what goes against the facts.
Also analyze your emotions. Are they pretty strong when you have a certain feeling?
Part 4 of 4: Practice Meditation
Step 1. Meditate to improve perception
Buddhists have been practicing meditation for more than 2,500 years. Today, about 10% of Americans also meditate. Several studies show that meditation can significantly improve perception. Subjects participating in a survey were able to notice small visual changes, but they also enhanced their ability to pay attention for a long time. Another study found that, when a person meditates regularly, they activate a larger portion of gray matter in areas of the brain associated with a) sensitivity to the body's reactions and b) sensory processing.
- Gray matter is a tissue in the central nervous system that processes information, triggering sensory responses.
- Meditation is believed to increase neural connections in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. This region processes sensory information, manages rational decision-making and regulates the activity of the amygdala.
- If you learn to relax, stop worrying about everything, and be receptive rather than reactive, your ability to pick up on surrounding signals increases.
Step 2. Learn about the various types of meditation
Meditation is an umbrella term that encompasses several ways in which a state of relaxation can be achieved. Each kind of meditation is done in a particular way. Here are the most practiced meditations.
- Guided meditation is run by a teacher, therapist, or guide who talks to you as you imagine relaxing people, places, things and experiences.
- Meditation with a mantra consists of repeating a reassuring word, thought or phrase to prevent other thoughts from entering the mind and distracting you.
- Mindful meditation is about focusing on the present and breathing. It allows you to observe your thoughts and emotions without making harsh judgments.
- Qigong combines meditation with physical movement, breathing exercises and relaxation to restore the balance of the mind.
- Tai chi is a kind of Chinese martial art, but with slow movements and postures. Concentration is also needed to breathe deeply.
- Transcendental meditation involves silently repeating a personal mantra - a word, a sound or a phrase - to put the body into a state of deep relaxation. The mind can find inner peace.
- Yoga is practiced by performing a series of postures and breathing exercises to make the body more flexible and calm the mind. Moving from one pose to another requires concentration and balance. Therefore, the most important aspect is to think only about the present.
Step 3. Find out how you can meditate each day
You can practice meditation on your own at any time of the day. You don't need to sign up for a course. In order to achieve a state of relaxation, it is not the amount of time you spend doing this that is important, but the frequency with which you meditate.
- Breathe slowly and deeply through your nose. Focus on feeling and listening as you inhale and exhale. When your mind wanders and gets lost, focus on your breathing again.
- Explore the whole body and become aware of all your sensations. Focus your attention on different areas of the body. Combine this analysis with breathing exercises to help you relax physically.
- Create your own mantra and repeat it all day.
- Walk slowly, wherever you are, and focus on moving your legs and feet. Repeat passwords in mind, such as "lift" or "move," as you place one foot in front of the other.
- Pray either orally or in writing, using your own words or those written by others.
- Read poems or books that are sacred to you and reflect on the meaning of their message. You can also listen to music or words being spoken, as long as they are stimulating or relaxing. Next, write down your thoughts or, if you prefer, discuss them with someone else.
- Focus on a sacred object or entity and formulate thoughts filled with love, understanding and gratitude. Also try to close your eyes and imagine this sacred object or higher being.
