Social Engineering Blogs

First Video,

You may or may not have heard of actor Will Smith backhanding a reporter this past weekend at the Men in Black 3 premier in Moscow, Russia.

Smith was clearly caught off guard when a Ukranian reporter tried to kiss him while wrapping his arm around his neck. He shoved the reporter off of him and gave him a backhand slap on the check.

Take a look the video below and try to decipher Smith’s emotions. What is interesting is also the reaction of the other people around him, including the woman with the leopard printed scarf around her neck and the blond woman behind him.

Remember that emotions are immediate, automatic, unconscious reactions to events that are important to one’s welfare. They are transient and fleeting.

What emotions do you see here?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Many people have had very emotional reactions to situations that have taken place at work.  Some of those might be good, some bad, but no one want to have the infamous “mental breakdown” or “emotional snap” that can destroy you (if even just temporarily) as well as your professional & personal relationships.

The Wall Street Journal reports that there is a stigma attached to emotional responses in the workplace.  Experts have long claimed that emotional suppression is not healthy for the well-being of the individual as well as their work performance.

So what should you do? 

Be attuned to what your emotional triggers are, so your responses—even in more extreme cases—can be predictably managed.

People tend to mimic the strong emotions around them, according to Sigal Barsade, a professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, so don’t vent at work; if necessary, go home.