Mirror Neurons Part Two

Since we have talked about numerous psychological concepts in class: confirmation bias, groupthink, and the bystander effect. I would like to talk about another psychological concept, Mirror neurons. According to the US National Library of Medicine, “Mirror neurons are one of the most important discoveries in the last decade of neuroscience”. Mirror neurons are a confluence of multiple “visuospatial neurons” that maintain a role in “human social interaction. Simply, mirror neurons “respond to actions that we observe in others”. The most intriguing finding regarding mirror neurons is that they “fire in the same way when we actually recreate the action ourselves”. This is incredibly integral to the utility of mirror neurons because they excite the same areas during the visualization and action of a specific skill. Despite the fact that one may believe mirror neurons are only useful in augmenting the process by which one learns skills, a lack of mirror neurons have been shown to be detrimental to one’s health. For example, a lack of mirror neurons has been linked to autism.

Mirror neurons are integral to “intentional understanding”. In this process, “mirror neurons premonate the future action which is yet to occur”. In a simplistic sense, mirror neurons allow us to predict the future, through referencing past actions and predicting the likeliness that they will be repeated.

The best way to understand how one can utilize mirror neurons is through an example in athletics. For instance, in water polo, it is very important to have a technically sound shot. Through focusing on technique one will be able to shoot more accurately while not hurting their shoulder. In order to master this shot, one should watch videos of people shooting against a goalie. By analyzing how high one elbow is and the degree to which they relax one can apply that to their own shot. Through this practice, one will be able to maximize their technique and efficacy while minimizing injury.