Let’s dive a little deeper into the idea of giving ourself permission to act on the impulse. An impulse is defined as
impulse
noun
im·pulse | \ ˈim-ˌpəlshttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impulse
1a: INSPIRATION, MOTIVATIONb: a force so communicated as to produce motion suddenlyc: INCENTIVE
2a: the act of driving onward with sudden force : IMPULSIONb: motion produced by such an impulsion : IMPETUSc: a wave of excitation transmitted through tissues and especially nerve fibers and muscles that results in physiological activity or inhibition— see NERVE IMPULSE
3a: a sudden spontaneous inclination or incitement to some usually unpremeditated actionb: a propensity or natural tendency usually other than rational
What makes the difference between a believable action and an action that reads a false or contrived on stage is the ability of an actress or actor creating the illusion of it being an authentic impulse or reaction to external or internal stimuli. The trouble is the most authentic and believable aspect of body language is the gestures that come without conscious thought. It happens faster than conscious thought. It starts faster than we can control it. We can shut it down and change it once we identify it but usually, the damage is already done with whomever we are communicating with. They can sense the deception because they saw you shut down a limbic response. This is why you will hear political commentators talking about “micro-gestures” concerning whether or not a candidate in a debate is telling the truth or not. The brain and especially the subconscious part of our brain is extremely sensitive to seeing gestures that come from the limbic response.
[Read more…] about The Truth Behind What Our Body is Saying – The Limbic Response