Writer Unboxed

Cross Your Arms

I subscribe to a monthly e-newsletter written by Jurgen Wolff called the BRAINSTORM E-BULLETIN. What I like about Jurgen’s newsletter is that he takes tips from all around him and then extrapolates for the writer. This month’s tips are rooted in life lessons inspired by a communication designer, a novelist, a Forbes magazine article on innovation, a psychological study and a famous lateral thinker. Jurgen takes each of these tips and then makes them actionable for all of us, too–an extra step I appreciate.

This month’s most interesting nugget for me was the psychological study. Here’s the blip from Jurgen’s newsletter:

Can Crossing Your Arms Make You More Determined?

If you cross your arms you will persevere for longer at whatever you’re doing. Sounds like a joke, right? OK, it was a limited test at the University of Rochester, and the task the volunteers were doing was trying to solve anagrams. But it has been shown previously that it’s not only that your mood or mental state affects your body movement – it also works the other way. For instance, it’s hard to feel ‘up’ if you are slouching with your eyes on the ground, and harder to feel depressed if you stand up straight and look up.

In the case of crossed arms, it seems to be an intuitive association that probably goes back thousands of years in our evolution. Try it right now: cross your arms and notice whether you get an emotional reaction as well. (It works for me – also seems to trigger a slight clenching of the jaw).

ACTION: The next time you feel your determination flagging, try crossing your arms!

I’m going to cross my arms right after I finish this blog post and say my new mantra: I will soon find a fabulously unboxed agent, I will, I will, I will.

Google Notebook updates coming soon. Stay tuned.

Write on, all!

Therese Walsh co-founded Writer Unboxed in 2006. Her debut novel, The Last Will of Moira Leahy, sold to Random House in a two-book deal in 2008, was named one of January Magazine’s Best Books of 2009, and was a Target Breakout Book in 2010. She's never been published with a lit magazine, but LOST's Carlton Cuse liked her haiku best on Twitter, and that made her pretty happy.