Training to see the Positive

I totally failed at this game. lol. Even after studying each face, I couldn't find the happy one for a couple of minutes.

http://www.theemotionmachine.com/cognitive-bias-modification-train-your-mind-to-see-the-positive

interesting idea!

I discovered a couple of interesting things trying this.

1. It's very easy on some levels to convince yourself that the smiling, happy face doesn't exist, even if your mouse is hovering over it. You search and search to find the happiness in the level, and you overlook it entirely while seeking it. I'm sure there's some kind of profound Zen b.s. at work there, but it was terribly frustrating to me once I realized it was right under my nose.
2. It was harder for me to find new smiling faces. The first time I saw any particular person's face in that test smiling, it was harder to pick it out than subsequent times. I suppose this means that I look for markers and train myself to learn what individuals look like when they're happy, and that it's harder for me to find it if I'm unfamiliar with it. It also tells me that I have a hard time knowing when strangers are happy than I do people I know, even simply going off facial expressions.
3. I found that, even in the case of #2 above, I found the smiling faces faster if I found the person attractive or aesthetically pleasing. It took me much longer to find the smiles on the faces I didn't find aesthetically pleasing, even if I was used to them.

I tried doing it with and without a smile, no difference.... and I didn't speed up as it went on and on, until after what seemed like ages I did a deliberate scan pattern at just the right speed to see each face (cheating!!).

I was able to find the smiles fastest when I stopped picking out individuals with my eyes, but instead, focused on the center of the grid and let my peripheral vision take the whole thing in at once. I was able to find most of them this way within 2 seconds each at the longest. It is an example of why I prefer to see things through unity rather than division.

I found this test changed difficulty depending on which face was smiling... some I got quickly every time, a few I was always slow finding. I'm not sure if it was actually helping to do what they were saying it's supposed to do. It felt more like an 'odd one out' activity.

FUN!

I tried it a couple ways. Just as is, with a big grin and deliberate happy feelings and then to different kinds of music.

Bouncy music worked best

Interesting! Thanks for sharing this, Connor.

I go immediately for the happy faces. It's rare that I'm not smiling, though I never thought about how that might affect my perceptions. The act of smiling seems to not only attract that same energy, but apparently also helps direct one toward others who extend positive vibes.