This is a new technique that I tried last night. It is based on my years of experience as a professional psychologist and scientist. The finding is strong enough that I think that it needs its own thread with some of my other articles. First, the trick and then why it works -- and it does work.
You have a way of walking when you are in a really good mood. Maybe it's that John Travolta walk from "Saturday Night Fever." Whatever it is, there is a bounce to your step, a musical rhythm to your walk that simply feels good. Perhaps you need an Ipod plugged into your ear to get in the mood. Whatever your style is, when you get up to shoot, walk to the table with that walk and that rhythm -- I'm in a great mood walk. It will put you in the right frame of mind and then use your usual techniques for staying in that mood while you walk around the table and shoot.
Here is why it works. Many years ago Bib Latanne from Ohio State University among others were trying to determine if your emotions effect your behavior or if your behavior effects your emotions. The scientists gave something like adrenaline to a group of subjects who thought it was orange juice to see its effect on intellectual performance (yeah we are known for sneaky studies like this).
Anyway the pumped up subject is in a waiting room prior to the intellectual performance test. A confederate of the experimenter comes in and sits down next to the subject. In one situation the confederate is angry and makes ugly statements about the experiment, the subject too gets angry as one way of explaining their pumped up system.
In another situation the confederate starts joking around, laughing and throwing paper airplanes at the waste basket. The subject too easily starts laughing and joking around as the explanation for the adrenaline.
There were other conditions to control for possible problems in the study. This study is often cited as one of the better studies in the social sciences and has been replicated many times.
The conclusion is that our emotions follow our behavior. If we act upbeat, our emotions will shift to upbeat. If we act angry, our emotions will become angry. In general, you can change your emotions by changing your behavior.
If you act upbeat, you will get into an upbeat mood and that will improve your game. Now you can see misses for what they are -- a part of the game.
So, I suggest that you give it a serious try, say 15 - 30 minutes of your upbeat walk and personal tempo to get in the right mood for playing pool. From what we know in the experimental sciences it will improve your game.
Pay it forward and it will make everyone's life / and game better.
There is another aspect of this technique. If you fake it until you make it, no one can get you down because your behavior will constantly bring you back to a better state of mind. You enjoy the game for yourself and the other person's behavior does not affect you.
I have been debating with myself about posting some of my other articles about psychology and pool. With the indulgence of the moderators I will place four or five additional posts that are not copyrighted. Some of these articles were written several years ago and are based on a review of the scientific psychological literature as it applies to playing pool.
They are not copyrighted and can be used by anyone for any purpose though it would be polite to cite the source (Joe Waldron, Ph.D., Psychologist, Youngstown State University) if these ideas are used in other texts.
I am not a professional pool player, but I am a professional psychologist (retired) and these ideas may be of use from that perspective. AZB seems the best place to put this information that others can consider an use as needed.
You have a way of walking when you are in a really good mood. Maybe it's that John Travolta walk from "Saturday Night Fever." Whatever it is, there is a bounce to your step, a musical rhythm to your walk that simply feels good. Perhaps you need an Ipod plugged into your ear to get in the mood. Whatever your style is, when you get up to shoot, walk to the table with that walk and that rhythm -- I'm in a great mood walk. It will put you in the right frame of mind and then use your usual techniques for staying in that mood while you walk around the table and shoot.
Here is why it works. Many years ago Bib Latanne from Ohio State University among others were trying to determine if your emotions effect your behavior or if your behavior effects your emotions. The scientists gave something like adrenaline to a group of subjects who thought it was orange juice to see its effect on intellectual performance (yeah we are known for sneaky studies like this).
Anyway the pumped up subject is in a waiting room prior to the intellectual performance test. A confederate of the experimenter comes in and sits down next to the subject. In one situation the confederate is angry and makes ugly statements about the experiment, the subject too gets angry as one way of explaining their pumped up system.
In another situation the confederate starts joking around, laughing and throwing paper airplanes at the waste basket. The subject too easily starts laughing and joking around as the explanation for the adrenaline.
There were other conditions to control for possible problems in the study. This study is often cited as one of the better studies in the social sciences and has been replicated many times.
The conclusion is that our emotions follow our behavior. If we act upbeat, our emotions will shift to upbeat. If we act angry, our emotions will become angry. In general, you can change your emotions by changing your behavior.
If you act upbeat, you will get into an upbeat mood and that will improve your game. Now you can see misses for what they are -- a part of the game.
So, I suggest that you give it a serious try, say 15 - 30 minutes of your upbeat walk and personal tempo to get in the right mood for playing pool. From what we know in the experimental sciences it will improve your game.
Pay it forward and it will make everyone's life / and game better.
There is another aspect of this technique. If you fake it until you make it, no one can get you down because your behavior will constantly bring you back to a better state of mind. You enjoy the game for yourself and the other person's behavior does not affect you.
I have been debating with myself about posting some of my other articles about psychology and pool. With the indulgence of the moderators I will place four or five additional posts that are not copyrighted. Some of these articles were written several years ago and are based on a review of the scientific psychological literature as it applies to playing pool.
They are not copyrighted and can be used by anyone for any purpose though it would be polite to cite the source (Joe Waldron, Ph.D., Psychologist, Youngstown State University) if these ideas are used in other texts.
I am not a professional pool player, but I am a professional psychologist (retired) and these ideas may be of use from that perspective. AZB seems the best place to put this information that others can consider an use as needed.
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) from Compreshensive Dictionary of Psychological Terms who say that emotions arise from a 3 way process:
