Archiv der Kategorie: Culture

Here you find posts about life styles and mindsets of different countries, indtustrial sectors and business functions.

The eye also votes

Latest at election time, politicians move into the spotlight. Now parties introduce themselves to the voters with their agendas and candidates. So that electorates don’t get upset after the election by false promises, beforehand as few promises as possible are made. However, one factor becomes reliably visible before voting – the body language of the candidates. Facial expressions, in particular, reveal the person behind the political facade. Mimic art is hard to control. The exceptions are actors and politicians.

Paul Ekman has described the emotions with general criteria, the Facial Action Coding System. With the FACS, we can recognize the facial expressions of the seven basic emotions – anger, contempt, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. The feelings that are the most obvious are debunking. However, we do not understand these expressions until we know the reasons.

  • Anger
    arises when unjust, threatening, or obstructive circumstances happen. They disappoint, discourage people, and trigger stress hormones. As a result, the heartbeat and the blood pressure rise. The eyebrows are drawn together. The eyelids tighten, and the upper lid raises. The lips are pressed together.
    As soon as someone is angry, the situation should be calmed down. You can react in a friendly way, separate the problem from people, and identify the cause of the anger (Question: What makes you angry?).
  • Disgust
    exists because something makes you sick or is rejected. This reflex leads to physical reactions such as cramps in the digestive tract and nausea. Accordingly, the nose is wrinkled, the upper lip and the chin are raised, and the corners of the mouth and cheeks are lowered. Disgust is a learned reflex that protects us from inedible food. Sometimes it is transferred to circumstances that repel one so strongly that the body reacts unconsciously.
    The cause should be removed and the focus diverted to counter disgust. Identify the reasons for the aversion (Question: What bothers you?) and redirect the attention in another direction.
  • Fear
    occurs when someone feels threatened. It happens because of a vague feeling, fear of something, in a dangerous situation, or because of a chronic mental illness. Fear is a physical response to a threatening situation that has ensured survival since the early stages of evolution. Humans become more aware of the environment. The heart rate rises. Breathing becomes shallower and quickens. Digestion is inhibited, and nausea and dizziness occur. The eyes widen. The eyelids and lips tighten. The eyebrows are raised and tighten. The jaw drops and the corners of the mouth are drawn outward. The gaze settles frozen on the threat.
    People can prepare for scary circumstances by deliberately exposing themselves to them: Petting dogs, riding elevators, speaking in front of people. In a threatening situation, calm breathing and prepared thinking or imperceptibly uttering your magical formulas help – “I-can-Like-always-Now”. As soon as you notice fear, interrupt the ongoing action. Reassure the person – “It’s okay – We’ll take a break – Deep breaths in and out.”
  • Surprises
    appear out of nowhere. Due to unexpected events, intense feelings, or other unforeseen perceptions, spontaneous behavior and exclamations are triggered. The respective temper, the current mood and attentiveness have a strong influence on it. Our injured convictions lead to (un)pleasant feelings as far as fears. The eyes open wide, the eyebrows raise and the jaw drops.
    As soon as someone reacts dumbfounded, it is advisable to find out which mental models have been violated. A negative response indicates injured values. Positive feedback points to preferences and needs that, once understood, can contribute to a conducive anchoring of circumstances.
  • Happiness
    occurs when something pleasant or beneficial happens or is remembered. The raised corners of the mouth and cheeks and narrowed eyes are clear signals of “public” happiness. “Non-public” pleasure is recognized by a relaxed facial expression.
    As soon as someone is happy, this has a stimulating effect on those around. In The Secret, the Law of Attraction is used to describe how a joyful attitude results in better interpersonal ­relationships, health, and other effects in our lives. Typically, happiness does not require a response. However, if someone does not respond appropriately to events, you should determine the reasons – a joke usually creates laughter or at least a smile.
  • Sadness
    is caused by undesirable circumstances such as death, illness, and unfulfilled desires. Contracted, centric wrinkles between the eyebrows, drooping corners of the mouth, a slightly raised chin, shallow breathing, and an inward gaze are indicators.
    As soon as you notice sadness, leave it to the mourners to act out their feelings. They need time to go through the stages of despair (e.g., shock, controlling emotions, withdrawal, coping, and acceptance of fate). Show reserved compassion with attentiveness and sympathy.
  • Contempt
    arises when persons, groups, or institutions violate (un)conscious beliefs. This leads to disregard, reject, or aggressively degrade the addressees. It works top-down and vice versa. The disdain becomes visible in drooping eyelids, a fixed gaze, and otherwise one-sided facial expressions: lips raised, corner of the mouth dropped and pressed inwards, cheek slightly raised.
    The target of the contempt is not immediately apparent. For this reason, the cause should be determined. Possibly the person condemns itself, its counterpart, someone else, or a previous incident. Avoid unconsciously mirroring this feeling. Remain friendly, do not respond to personal accusations, and find out the reason for the contempt (Question: What bothers you?).

Bottom line: Body language is direct access to the state of mind of people. Even though some actors can consciously express certain emotions, small signals cannot be intentionally influenced. We can recognize anger, disgust, fear, surprise, happiness, sadness, and contempt. However, we still do not know what the reasons for these emotions are. In elections, it is difficult to get to the bottom of the inner life of the candidates. Politicians are prepared to create a specific impression. Interviews are debunking in these cases – especially when questioners ask awkward questions and reveal unwanted feelings. The most apparent poses are especially unmasking because they reveal essential traits of the person. In the end, the eye also votes.

Learning from the elders

Before we start denigrating those who have demonstrated the most consistency over the past 2500 years, let’s take an unbiased look at them since they have lived by more or less similar values for so long – the Chinese. The five constants of (1) humaneness, (2) righteousness, (3) morality, (4) integrity, and (5) knowledge serve as a guide for the Renmin (the Chinese people):

  • In their relations with other people
  • With a corresponding sense of duty
  • Friendliness
  • Honesty and
  • Precise expression.

The behavior is built on these Wuchang’s – a strong sense of ­belonging, the political system, and the social credits. Full centralization and independence from electoral promises enable the leaders to set and realize ambitious goals – even if dealing with human rights falls by the wayside.

If you let go of the general polemics toward the Chinese dragon regarding the political system and how they deal with resistance, there is a lot to learn from the two and a half thousand-year-old Confucian mindset.

  • If you do not have perseverance with small things, the big plan will fail
    China’s connection to international markets bundles various projects. It aligns efforts in the long run under One Belt, One Road, or The New Silk Road (on land and water) towards economic expansion. In the West, the focus on long time horizons has been lost. At the same time, large-scale projects are made impossible by excessive bureaucracy and private resistance. As a result, decision-makers are rewarded for short-term good behavior towards the loudest rather than the majority’s needs.
    In the West, we should remember that the majority’s welfare, decisiveness, and perseverance are prerequisites for our progress. This requires a masterplan that promotes, for example, education and ensures an operational infrastructure and the preservation of competitive advantages.
  • A sounding drum needs no heavy beating
    The ongoing criticism of the conditions in China shows a lack of understanding of Asian cultural peculiarities. When the social credit system is discredited as Big Brother is watching, many oversee the corresponding measures of observation in the West – e.g., surveillance cameras in England, extensive monitoring of communications and road traffic in Germany, or the U.S. overbearing NSA. In contrast, the Chinese system counts on ancient values (see the five constants), which make it easier to introduce, for example, the social credit system, mainly when it is linked to the targeted doubling of per capita income by 2035.
    We should move away from the basic idea of subordinating anything to companies’ economic success and a few super-rich people. We will only remain viable when we preserve future generations’ future opportunities by focusing more on securing the long-term performance of all, creating a joint (for example, a European) identity, and preventing the societal division into haves and have-nots. A fruitful community spirit enables benefits for everybody when all stakeholders pull together one rope.
  • Do one thing and not letting the other
    In contrast to the culturally neighboring 27 European countries, China comprises 90 ethnic groups or 56 official nationalities. While it spans five time zones, it has only one time, that of Beijing. If we consider the more than 1.4 million people, then the internal difficulties become understandable. If you think about the Asian mentality of Yin and Yang, the results of One Country, Two Systems, or the new measure of Dual Circulations, the results are impressive – in other words, the mode of doing one thing and not letting the other.
    We could benefit a lot from such inherently contradictory approaches instead of dogmatically following the everybody for oneself. The E.U. is less struggling with different mentalities. Trouble arises from national egoisms. For example, Europe has made itself incapable of acting due to its distribution of authority or veto power. Only if the nation stating is dissolved in favor of the United States of Europe will there be a future for all – the European market has the right size, is based on a common culture, and has an established economy.
  • Utilize all opportunities
    With its Made in China 2025 (MIC), China aims to dominate in key areas – determined digitalization (e.g., network infrastructure, semiconductors); introduction of cryptocurrency; further development of transport systems (e.g., high-speed trains, electromobility, space travel); expansion of I.T. capabilities (e.g., Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Robots, and Automation); performance improvements in agriculture.
    Although we have comparable needs for action, we cannot go beyond lip service due to a lack of decisiveness and pursuit of personal gains. We are left with projects that are repeatedly delayed into the future. We skim off the accumulated cream of the economy and redistribute wealth from the bottom to the top. This leads inevitably to an economic infarction – at the latest when previous advances have been eaten up. In modifying a burnt motto, we need a Europe First that is carried and supported by ALL – free from national and personal concerns.
  • Cross the river by feeling for stones
    The future lies hidden in the mist of possibilities. However, the following touchdown points are recognizable. Accordingly, Deng Xiaoping had issued the motto Cross the river by feeling for stones. With its current student population of more than 40 million and the millions of graduates in recent years, China has an overwhelming knowledge worker reservoir. With this flood of knowledge, they are building the future foundations as part of the China Standards 2035 The most patent activity takes place in China with over 1.4 million according to WIPO (followed by the USA with over 600k, Japan with over 300k, South Korea with almost 220k, and Germany with over 67k patents).
    We can see from the numbers who is determining future matters. To secure our opportunities, the Europeans would have to set and pursue the priorities just like China. If we fail to do this, we will continue to lose substance. This applies to people’s performance and the economy, the communications networks coverage, the exploitation of the Western mentality, and the inherited understanding of quality.

Bottom line: In essence, this post is about moving away from the polarizing view on China. It would be better to recognize that China has increased its GDP by RMB five hundredfold in the past sixty years. Within the same time, Germany’s GDP has increased twenty-onefold. Even though China started at a shallow level, we will have to deal in this decade with China taking the lead in the economy. It is mainly because of its persistently implemented initiatives: One Belt, One Road; Social Credit System; Dual Circulation; Made in China 2025 (MIC). To remain economically significant, it is necessary to develop and consequently implement a masterplan in Europe. Therefore, bureaucratic and social resistances do not have to continue to be sat out but must be solved. The core issues are the support of qualification for all, the consistent elimination of the preferential treatment of capital and industry, seamless digitization, and future technologies’ development and use. To achieve this, we can learn from those who have been on the road the longest and are doing it currently at best.