READING: EMOTIONAL HEALING

I. What makes you feel better when you are sick? Medicine? A familiar environment?
You may be surprised to hear that today many researchers believe that contact with
our friends and loved ones can be as important as doctors and medicine in making
us well again. Why is this?
II. Well, according to scientists, humans not only catch contagious diseases from each
other, they also pass positive attitudes, happy feelings and well-being to each other.
This process, known as ‘emotional contagion’, is now starting to attract the attention
of health professionals and others interested in how our emotions affect us
physically.
III. According to researchers, one of the ways in which emotional contagion works is
through a type of cell in our brain that they call ‘mirror neurons’. The idea is that
these cells give humans a natural ability to replicate the actions and emotions of
others around us. We, literally, act like an image in a mirror: If those around us
laugh and feel happy, then we copy them.
IV. However, some scientists have argued more recently that rather than a specific type
of cell responsible for ‘mirroring’, it is really a function of an area of the brain located
in the premotor cortex that produces this effect. This area can interpret and follow
the emotional state of those around us and help us act in an emotionally appropiate
way.
V. It is clear that interpreting and copying the behaviour of others, especially people we
love, has a positive impact on our body chemistry. In fact, researchers say that
when we mirror the healthy attitudes and lifestyle of others, our cardiovascular
health improves, and we boost the body’s natural defences. There is a direct
relationship between the quality of our personal networks and our ability to recover
from illness and even live longer lives. This kind of emotional connectivity is free
and it has a positive physical effect.

1.- Say whether the following sentences are TRUE or FALSE according to
the text. Copy the evidence from the text. No marks will be given without
the evidence. (0.25 each= 0.75 points)
a) Research into the value of human relationships to health has shown that scientists
don't have a clear view of it yet.
b) 'Mirroring behaviour' describes the ability of our brains to control our emotions.
c) Close relationships can have a positive impact on our health because emotional
contagion can help us absorb the happiness of others.

2.- Answer the questions below. Choose no more than 10 words and/or a
number from the text for each answer. (0.25 each= 0.75 points)
a) What is one way in which emotional contagion works?
b) What are cells responsible for?
c) What happens to our cardiovascular health when we mirror the healthy attitudes and
lifestyle of others?

3.- Find a word in the text that means... (1 point)

a) –contract through infection c) – a marked effect or influence
b) – make a copy of; reproduce d) – without charge; costing nothing