“Oh, little tiny baby Sam.”
“Bongiorno!”
“Are you safe?”
“Oh, did you go to Farm Camp? You’ve never mentioned it.”
These are just a few prominent examples of the little quips I’ve brainwashed my friends into saying. When I came to campus, I immediately entered into a group of people who I feel more connected to than pretty much anyone I’ve been acquainted with previously. So I guess it isn’t all that surprising we have picked up some of each other’s mannerisms and vocal expressions. For example, I find myself exclaiming “oy vey!” frequently because about 50 percent of my friend group is Jewish. And, many of us now describe everything as “delicious” because it is my friend’s favorite adjective to use in every situation. …show more content…
I’ve been saying “okay, listen” to start my sentences for about a year now and “are you safe?” came into being from my weariness concerning the phrase “are you okay?” And now, as I listen in on conversations with my peers, I hear frequent exclamations of “OKAY, LISTEN!” and the placating sounds of “are you safe?” To outsiders, it seems like these weird culty things we all say (that are pretty nonsensical) serve no purpose other than to demonstrate our like-mindedness. However, there is real psychology behind …show more content…
However, recently, neuroscientists have been conducting investigations concerning special brain cells called mirror neurons. According to a 2011 article from the Association for Psychological Science, although the role of mirror neurons are not particularly relevant to the mimicry of speech, “Mirror neurons are believed to play a critical role in how and why we understand other people’s actions.” So, when my friends see me kick my leg into the air over my head after destroying all of them in a game of Uno, they understand the action, even if they themselves are not quite as flexible. In addition, mirror neurons heavily contribute to the way we understand the intentions behind people’s words or actions; in other words, mirror neurons help us understand the mind. Thus, my friends comprehend my leg kicking derives from a place of exuberant excitement over my victory at Uno and not a violent act of aggression. Therefore, when coupled with the concept of modeling, they may be more apt to kick their leg in the air next time they are