Body Doubling is a strategy Recommended for people with ADHD. But because it's based on the effect of the scientific principle of isopraxism, it is one of the reasons it works in work and educational settings and it is recommended by therapists) while people clean, declutter, or
finish their to-do lists. It helps with executive functioning and accountability.
Body Doubling works because of a scientific phenomenon called Isopraxism, a pull towards the same energy to save energy. Isopraxism is why birds fly in formation, deer run together, fish swim in schools, why we do the wave at football games, slow in traffic if the car in front of us slows down, and why get can easily get pulled into someone’s bad mood. Research shows that the strongest energy, the strongest leader has the strongest pulling effect, and that negative energy (anger) has the strongest pulling effect. The people we are with can motivate us to change or shift our body language. Body doubling can help us get work done.
Body doubling creates a multi-tiered effect to get you
moving and motivated. First, there is someone else moving so you are pulled to “Match”
that movement. Your limbic system (not your logical thinking neocortex) feels
the pull to move because they are moving. If you like a trust them that pull is
stronger. You don’t have to Mirror them and do the same exact thing they are doing;
you just must move. So for example when my assistant is in the office and may Mirror
her and sit at my desk next to her and also type, but I may also just match
and be up doing other things in the office or be working in another room. Her
presence and energy of being productive pull me to be productive. Specifically,
we are pulled by all our senses, The visual body language cues of the other
person, the sound of them breathing and talking, and even their scent, ie they are sweating so we are pulled to work
and sweat.
I have many fellow entrepreneurs and author friends that do
their best writing in a coffee shop because there is movement around them. People’s
energy and movement, create matching energy and productivity in them. I had an
office in a shared office space in a cool hip Ponce City Market before covid, where
I spent most of my time in the coffee bar or sitting in one of the lounges
working because I loved being around all those fellow high-energy entrepreneurs.
In addition, there is a psychological pull towards being productive,
where you see them working, and you feel good if you do too and feel guilty if
you don’t move as well. My ex-fiancé, insisted I buy a two-story house because
he hated that he could see me sitting at my desk working in my office when he
was sitting on the couch watching TV. He wanted me to work on a separate floor
so he didn’t feel my pulling effect and didn’t feel guilty for not working nights
and weekends as I did. He worked full-time, he shouldn’t have felt any guilt
but the pull was strong.
