Body Language Regarding A Recovering Substance Abuser
To forecast whether a problem drinker will hit the bottle once again, ignore what they say and view their body language for displays of shame, a University of British Columbia research discovers:
The study, which checked out drinking and health outcomes in freshly sober recovering alcoholics, is the first to reveal that physical manifestations of shame-- from slumped shoulders to narrow chests-- could anticipate a relapse in individuals who struggle with alcoholism.
"Our research discovers that the amount of shame people display could highly predict not just whether they will go on to relapse, but how bad that relapse will be-- that is, how many beverages they will consume," says UBC Psychology Prof. Jessica Tracy, who carried out the study with graduate student Daniel Randles.
The study, to be released this week by the Association for Psychological Science diary Clinical Psychological Science, evaluated the body language and self-reported shame of 46 individuals in videotaped interviews, a number of months apart.
The research included two sessions. In the first session, individuals were asked to "explain the last time you consumed alchohol and felt terribly about it." In a second session, 4 months later, participants were asked to state their drinking behaviors. They completed questionnaires about their physical and mental wellness at both of the sessions.
The study found that individuals who showed higher levels of shame habits in the first session were more most likely to relapse by the 2nd session. On the other hand, written or verbal expressions of shame did not anticipate their likelihood of relapse.
The research found that shame behaviors in the preliminary session also anticipated an increased number of psychiatric symptoms at the second session, and aggravating health over time.
Backgrounder
The findings have vital ramifications for people struggling with dependences, their family and friends, and researchers and clinicians who study peoples emotions and dependency, the researchers say.
The research is also essential in light of the fact that some policymakers and judges have argued for the use of public shaming as a punitive measure, or treatment, against crime.
Our research recommends that shaming people for difficult-to-curb habits might be precisely the wrong strategy to take," Tracy and Randles say. "Rather than avoid future events of such behaviors, shaming may lead to an increase in these behaviors.
The analysis was actually upheld by Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, a Michael Smith Organization for Health Research Scholar Award and establishment scholarship, and a Canadian Establishment for Health Research New Investigator Award.
About the Author
To find out more on ways to read body language in people, please read my book: http://www.amazon.com/Language-Signals-Someone-Saying-ebook/dp/B007TBBYBM .
Tell others about
this page:
Comments? Questions? Email Here