Scratching the Surface

The yearly ‘retreat’ saw every single person make huge leaps in improvements and I will take time to reflect on the fabulous stories there and share as we go. But moving from the big to the small, this week I am doing something totally different on TV.

Gone are the big lessons of life and we dealt with on the retreat. This is about one tiny thing I noticed, that I have never heard spoken about in my whole career. . . scratching.

I was listening to someone recently and, as I became less and less interested, I noticed I started scratching. Then it became a funny thought as I kept consciously scratching and wondered if the other person would realise and take on board that they had totally lost me? They didn’t and kept talking.

An hour later, I was coaching and my coachee reached for the back of their neck and scratched, which I read as a sign that they were not happy to take on what I had said. Hmm, I thought, this was a topic worth more investigation. So here is the research for you:

Scratching can, of course, be a physical response to an irritation. The pain of scratching overrides the irritation of the itch temporarily and releases serotonin which makes it feel pleasurable. But there is more.

Scratching is contagious. 82% of people will begin to scratch if you do so around them.

And they don’t like it. We avoid people who scratch as it can be read as a signal of infestation or infection with a parasite or disease.

From a body language perspective, there are some interesting observations:

Scratching the head is about confusion.

A metaphor may be to rake the leaves on the grass so you can see it. Likewise, it is thought that scratching the head is a primitive way of trying to get the brain to work.

Scratching the neck is disbelief or doubt

Scratching, especially with a furrowed brow or hesitant speech, can indicate that someone does not believe what you are saying.

Scratching the face is deceitful

Any time the hands go to the face, there is some kind of cover-up and one has to consider deceit.

Scratching the body is anxiety

Just like when I was listening to the boring person, I scratched and scratched my body, such as the opposite arm is a sign of anxiety. In other words, I was trying to get away.

There are signs you can be aware of in yourself and watch in others.

And you can forget itchy palms. Despite the fact folklore suggests that an itchy right palm signifies incoming money or financial gain and an itchy left palm means you’ll be spending money or experiencing a financial loss, there is nothing to back that up I’m afraid.

Let me hear your thoughts.

Dr Louise Mahler 

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“After attending Louise’s retreat, I can honestly say that in over 20 years of corporate life and countless courses, I have never felt so energised or taken away so much truly useful information. Beyond my own learnings, I had the privilege of witnessing remarkable transformations in others, and I will be wholeheartedly recommend this program.”

Nathan Munce, Executive Director, Contracts, Commercial and Program, Passenger Transport Strategy and Technology | Translink Division, Department of Transport and Main Roads

“Attending Louise’s three-day retreat was an excellent investment of time. I gained specific, constructive strategies that left me motivated and energised to put them all into practice.”

Bernadette Donovan, APRA