For a brief introduction to the neurotransmitters affecting conflicts and conflict resolution, please see this article before continuing: For conflict resolution specialists, it has been well known that the amygdala impacts emotions and can cause flooding, resulting in anger during a mediation or negotiation. Neuroscientists and surgeons have recently found that dopamine heightens responses to perceived injustice, and serotonin’s role significantly impacts mood regulation and impulse control, according to this article. Why is this important? Understanding how these elements work and knowing that the cerebellum not only shapes how we move but also shapes cognition have a direct impact on conflict resolution and collaboration. Knowing that the cerebellum or the “little brain” can shape not only motor skills but cognition can influence emotions during a conflict. Reading these properly in a mediation or negotiation can have a significant impact on understanding the pathway needed to achieve a peaceful resolution.
Pre-frontal cortex protects you
It has long been held that the pre-frontal cortex overrides the amygdala when confronted by an attack. For example, when we feel attacked by someone, our amygdala kicks in. The amygdala cannot differentiate between being attacked by a tiger or a verbal attack by someone. Our emotions are charged, fear is identified, and we instinctively elevate our system to respond. If the chemicals inside are not controlled, we can become flooded with chemicals and hormones and we lose our temper. However, our pre-frontal cortex is there to protect us, and it considers food, water, sex, and shelter to make sure we don’t lose control and do something that may negatively impact us with bad consequences.
For example, if our boss says something that feels like an attack, our immediate response might be to want to fight back. However, our prefrontal cortex can stop us from responding negatively in the first 8 to 10 seconds. Our prefrontal cortex may override the amygdala and prevent us from losing our cool. After all, if we lose our cool, the consequence may be shattering. For example, we may lose our year-end bonus or our next promotion, preventing us from working on projects we want to work on, duties we do not want to perform but may become more of our assigned workload, and more. When the trigger occurs, our prefrontal cortex may recognize the intrusion and stop us from striking back because to do so is not in our best interest. Now, there is even more to know.
Cerebellum – “little brain”
The cerebellum or “little brain” has long been known to address motor skills, including physical coordination and fine-tuning movement. Think of these functions in terms smooth and precise actions like driving a car, playing the piano, balancing on one foot, and continual motor learning. The cerebellum is a brain coordinator related to motor skill learning. Only recently, it was discovered that the cerebellum also addresses social skills, emotional control, and behavior. This discovery is important. Why? Besides the impact in the areas of autism and aging, think about the cerebellum’s role in conflict resolution.
Conflict resolution and movement
When assessing attitude, Mehrabian has found that 7% of text and email communicate attitude through words, 38% through tone (as in a phone call), and 55% through body language and facial expressions (as in face-to-face meetings or a virtual session). This means there is a very good chance of misinterpreting someone else’s attitude in a text or email and for us to respond by immediately firing off an angry email without reflecting on the consequences.
Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) digs deeper into the theoretical and experimental investigation of the relationship between body language and facial expression. LMA suggests that observation, description, prescription, performance, and interpretation of human movement is key to understanding. Many have thought of LMA as something for dancers and actors. However, more recent work in conflict resolution has focused on mediators paying close attention to four factors: flow, weight, time, and space. For example, the flow of information -- or lack thereof -- by a participant. The weight of standing on one’s ground, retreating, or passively accepting. The time to respond, the speed of conversation, the pause that reflects, or a sudden movement and what sudden movement may mean. Finally, space and whether there is a direct focus on the recipient, pausing to take in a passerby or the surroundings, and reflection on where parties are in the interaction. When one takes the time to consider flow, weight, time, and space, we may gain further understanding of the content of what is being communicated.
Professor Kaori Kenmotsu, Assistant Professor of Law at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, promotes key elements of LMA when she is involved with Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). She encourages students to observe the movements of others while at the same time withholding judgment. She suggests that we consider the Body, the Efforts made by the body, Shape, and Space, noticing how they Relate to one another. The acronym for this is BESS-R. Nonverbal communication is key to understanding others and ourself. We need to be aware of our body and the signals we are sending, too. Think about what we are transmitting and what the other party is receiving from us before we think about what we are receiving from the other party.
Key findings
Historically, overcoming conflict and promoting collaboration has emphasized cultivating connecting authentic relationships and listening actively. These elements are indeed very important. With additional findings that our motor skills and cognitive thinking are also directly related, similar to how hardware and software are related, we recognize the additional importance of body posture, movement, flow, speed, and space in understanding beyond the words and tone presented during interactions. These non-verbal elements need further study by people involved in conflict resolution, mediation, and negotiation.
When considering in-person or virtual interactions like a Zoom meeting, Professor Komatsu suggests the analogy of attending a play in a theater in person, where we can see everything at once compared to a film which is an interpretation of an event as seen through a director’s lens in which we can only see what the director wants us to see. This interpretive lens limits our ability to take in the whole experience which includes the entire human movement.
We should consider learning more about LMA and enhancing our understanding of human movement related to communication, mediation, and facilitation.
To read additional sources, you may check out these links to expand your insights into collaboration, conflict resolution, and improving your servant manager skills.