CCHF Shalom Challenge Day 13: Anger is contagious. Except when you try this…
| Today’s challenge: Go down, not up Feel someone getting you angry? Diffuse the situation by turning the pace + volume down, not up. |
| Transcript |
| Anger is contagious. One person speaks angrily, the other responds harshly, voices get louder… and louder… and louder. Not with this trick —> It’s a psychological principle called pattern interrupt — when you react in a way opposite to what the person expects, there’s a split second of confusion. And in that pause, you’ve got his attention. His mind opens up and suddenly, he’s present. He can hear you. So you can de-escalate the situation… just by going down instead of up. By speaking lower, s l o w e r, deeper. And here’s the kicker: Not only does the deeper tone calm the angry person, it calms YOU, too. It helps you fight the natural stress you feel when facing anger. So instead of getting in a tizzy, you react in a calm, measured way you won’t regret later. (True fact: People vote more for presidents with deeper voices. Why? We naturally associate leadership, knowledge, and competence with people who speak low and slow.) |
