Anxiety Symptoms, Types, Causes and Treatments

Achieving Rapport: Expressivity, Coordination and Flow

We need rapport to influence others, to teach and learn, to achieve difficult tasks in groups and even to mate.

[Photos by landerson, jonthegm, Sam Rich]

Rapport is important. We need rapport to influence others, to teach and learn, to achieve difficult tasks in groups and even to mate. The latest research reveals gaining rapport is not just about matching body language and being positive, the picture is actually much more complicated. Studies have shown that expressivity is actually one of the most important factors in rapport. An expressive person displays their emotions nonverbally to those around them. Those who are more expressive have been found to elicit greater levels of liking and rapport from others.

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Do Helplines Help?

It has been estimated that 5% of the UK population are active users of mental health helplines. Mental health helplines are close to my heart as I volunteer for one of them myself. One question has troubled me since I have worked there, as it has troubled many of my colleagues: Do they do any good? Is it really good to talk?

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British Psychological Society Annual Conference

Last weekend the British Psychological Society had its Annual Conference. It’s a chance for psychologists to show off what they’ve been up to for the last year. Here’s some of the research that caught my eye.

The key to finding love on the net is honesty. Would you believe that it’s bad for your chances of finding true love if you lie about your personal appearance? And yet how many people are still doing this? A lot.

If you’re still unsuccessfully trying to give up smoking then psychologists may know why. Apparently it makes all the normal activities of life less pleasurable. Certainly disheartening news for those trying to give up, but still it can help to know the worst.

As people are finding more health related information on the internet, GPs are re-evaluating their roles. Instead of being the initial point of access to knowledge, they now tend to see themselves more as information filters.

In a related vein, researchers are also asking which websites people trust when looking for health information. The findings make for worrying reading: people were ignoring reputable organisation in favour of more ‘attractive’ sites.

Confident communicators are more persuasive. So you’ve got to fake it ’till you make it.

But don’t worry if it all gets too much for you then there is one easy way to make the pain go away and reduce your anxiety: listen to some music.
The British Psychological Society Annual Conference