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It's Called Psychological Reactance
You are not alone. In fact, this angry reaction is one of the reasons why our efforts to reach our goals can fall short or even backfire. When people feel that their choices are restricted, or that others are telling them what to do, they sometimes rebel and do the opposite.
Scientists have a term for this: psychological reactance. Psychological reactance is our brain’s response to a threat to our freedom. Threats to freedom include any time someone suggests or makes you do something. Health communication experts note that reactance sometimes happens in response to health campaigns that tell people to quit smoking . Rather than reducing smoking behavior, these ads sometimes cause people to want to smoke more!
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MORE IDEAS ON THIS
Reframing the experience so it is no longer a threat to freedom is one way we can try to avoid psychological reactance. We can try to remember that just because someone suggests something to us or asks us to do something, they are not necessarily trying to control us. Scientists are working on di...
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Imagine You Just Started Something
Imagine that you’ve just started a new diet , and you ask your partner to support you in your efforts by reminding you to cook healthy meals at home instead of eating out and do something active after work instead of watching Netflix. O...
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The negative thoughts and anger that come along with reactance make it worth taking the time to notice when your brain engages in psychological reactance and attempting to reframe those scenarios so they do not feel like threats to freedom. If I can think differently about the question when my hu...
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As I’ve been researching this concept, I’ve become hyper-aware of my own psychological reactance. I’ve noticed that my brain has reactance in response to the smallest threats. For example, when my husband says, “What’s the plan for this evening?” instead of simply responding with “no plans” or wi...
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It Has Two Parts
This strong reaction to a threat to freedom has two parts: feelings and thoughts. When reactance is happening in our minds and bodies, we have negative thoughts, and we often feel anger, hostility, and aggression .
People who str...
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Other curated ideas on this topic:
Why we do the opposite of what we are supposed to do
We hate the feeling of being bossed around, even when doing as we’re told is good for us.
Psychological reactance is our knee-jerk negative reaction to being told what to do.
Based on research, almost everyone has this mental reflex against being told what to do, esp...
Why Some People Turn Red
Our minds see embarrassment as a threat, as do our bodies.
A unique feature of the veins in your face and neck is that they are equipped to respond to social threats. Though embarrassment isn’t the only cause for our face turning red (guilt, shyness, or shame can also trigger this) ...
Types of empathy
There are different types of empathy that a person may experience:
- Affective empathy involves the ability to understand another person's emotions and respond appropriately. Such emotional understanding may lead to someone feeling concerned for another ...
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