Whether an airplane pilot knows why the airplane flies or doesn’t know it does not directly affect what kind of pilot he is. However, I personally feel better thinking that this particular pilot knows for sure. The same goes for event managers.
Whether a particular person knows why activities are effective or not does not directly affect what happens in the end. But just like with pilots, it was always interesting to me.
Why events are held despite the development of various means of communication is a big question. Events are even held by companies whose sales are entirely online. For example, the giants of online computer games hold championships. The game still takes place online, but for the first time players see their opponents and just other players in person, physically.
What am I talking about when I talk about events? An event is an organized action of a group of people who have a common goal.
There is an important condition for an event to become an event - people must be present in person, physically. Only then do we call it an event. For some unknown reasons, the fact that people are next to each other, see, feel, observe each other’s reactions, and react themselves is important. Let's say the general chat does not create such a feeling. Video conference - only partially.
There are several reasons why this is true and why events work. Let's start with oxytocin and mirror neurons.
1. Hormone Oxytocin.
Also known as the love hormone, it is known as the hormone that is released when you are in love. One of the situations when it is consistently released is before and after collective action.
Its effect is a decrease in nervousness, an increase in the level of trust, in general - everything is fine, everyone is around. The feeling of belonging to “our group” is a source of pleasant sensations for us. He is responsible for socially constructive behavior as opposed to selfish behavior.
Being present at an event, in “your” circle, is a source of oxytocin. That is, at the event we feel a little in a state of love.
Unfortunately, communication on social networks is also a stimulant.
2. Mirror neurons
These special cells of the cerebral cortex were discovered by the Italian neurophysiologist Giacomo Rizzolattiv in the 1990s in monkeys, and then discovered in humans.
They allow us to “try on” the behavior of another person and thus understand it. We see another person and our brain “mirrors” his behavior. Thus, we can very quickly understand what he is doing, what emotions he is experiencing, what he is trying to convey.
If you smile at a small child, he will smile back. This is how emotional intelligence is born, which is now talked and written about a lot.
Part of the training of professional athletes is based on this discovery - the boxer who watches the fight is himself in the ring.
The result for us: seeing a person, watching his performance at an event, we are in his place, experiencing his emotions, sympathizing with him. We break down barriers within large groups, we establish a connection between the leader and the group, we not only teach people, but also charge them emotionally.
Next time - about the virus of emotions, the limbic system and why athletes and cyclists ride 20% faster in the presence of spectators.
