Marc Brackett, a brilliant psychology researcher at Yale, has developed instruments capable of sorting out individual and group emotions.
His goal is to distribute his tool as widely as possible and to educate children from an early age to understand their emotions and act accordingly.
That is why emotional education is often an integral part of school programs in the United States, with the objective of making children more respectful and more efficient citizens and of improving their self-awareness. Marc Brackett and his team have shown that children’s minds are much more receptive when there is a relaxed atmosphere in the classroom.
Since school is a group of people who work together, the transition to an enterprise is quite natural: the tools are simple, the learning process and implementation are rapid.
The Ruler includes four tools: here are two of them.
1. The “Mood Meter”
It is used to measure the perception of one’s emotions in the present. It helps to answer the question: how do I feel at the present moment?
Learning to identify and label emotions is a critical step toward cultivating emotional intelligence.
By identifying emotions by means of the Mood Meter, we all become more mindful of how our emotions change throughout the day and how these emotions in turn affect our actions. We develop the self-awareness we need to clarify our choices. We learn to expand our emotional vocabulary from basic definitions of emotions (“I feel good/bad”) to more sophisticated (precise) terms (“I am angry, calm, embarrassed “).
Vertically I measure my energy level: blue is low, red is high.
Horizontally, I measure my level of pleasantness: blue is low, green is high.
2. The Meta-Moment.
It helps to answer the question: how can I bring out my “best self” in a difficult situation?
Emotions can either help or hinder relationships, and we all have moments that get the best out of us.
The Meta-Moment helps to handle strong emotions so as to make better decisions for ourselves and our community.
The Meta-Moment is a brief step back from the situation when we pause and think before acting. We ask ourselves, how would my “best self” react in this situation? What strategy can I use so that my actions will reflect my best self?
Over time and with practice, we can replace ineffective responses with productive responses and thus become self-reliant when faced with difficult situations.
The steps:
- Something happens
- Feel it
- Stop
- Look at your “best self”
- Develop strategies
- Success!
Research at Yale has shown that the Ruler is particularly useful in the following spheres of action:
- The attention span in the learning process
- Decision making and judgment
- The quality of our relationships
- Physical and mental health
- Efficiency at school and at work
How would relationships at the work place, at school, within the family, be if everybody applied the Ruler?
To learn more:
Ted Talk htpp://youtu.be/t8UhRBwmvd4
