Show BABSON'S AUTHENTIC STATEMENT err n W N 11 abes Special to THE EXPRESS BABSON WONDERS HOW MUCH OUR EMOTIONS AFFECT BUSINESS BABSON PARK MASS MASS- MASSI I have long been interested In just how much our national mental health may influence the business cycle and the I forces of prosperity Toda Today with such swift transportation and lightning flash communication cation I am brought to won won- wonder der toe tOI how much of an ef ef- ef feet mans man's emotions may have upon international commer cial and political develop develop- ments The Power of Our Emotions I am firmly convinced that our emotions direct our be- be behavior havior in more instances than we like to admit It Is a psychological fact that a success success- successful ful salesman alms at our emo- emo emotions emotions if he finds that his ap- ap appeals appeals peals to our logic have failed And if you have ever attend attend- attended ed a town meeting you know how easy It Is for some spell spell- spellbinder I binder to completely override i logic with an emotional ap ap- ap appeal peal Nine times out of ten we give In to the purely emotion emotion- emotional al gimmick In most national political elections I would venture that the outcome has lIas been even more heavily Influenced by emotion than by common sense horse Since emotion plays such a big role in hi our individual lives and In poll polio tics is it not reasonable that I the way we feel about bust bust- bustness I Iness ness conditions may very well wellI have a bearing on those condi condi- conditions I themselves Surely no no- no nobody body would deny that confidence dence Is a very important fac tor In manufacturing bank bank- banking in ing and consumer ing Should be Looked Into Businessmen in general seem to have little time for sociologists anthropologists and psychologists because their experiments take a longtime long longtime time to complete and are I ally costly But it is my opinion lion ion that if some realistic min ded social scientists would get getto to together with a group of far far- farsighted I sighted businessmen to study In depth death the effect of our na na- na national mental health on the I business cycle and prosperity I some great discoveries ml might ht be made that would benefit I not only our country but oth I er nations as well Forecasting has been my mys I business s for many years and andI andI I have long wondered if there here are not lIot some now unknown I spiritual and mental factors that would be Valuable it If identified in making coon coon- coonon e on- on ono In o on Ic c predIctions As long a ago o as the turn of the century Harvard's eminent Doctor Cannon declared that half haIl the patients who came to him for treatment had nothing wron wrong with them physically Their trouble was meaning mental and emotion emotion- emotional al When you think of the vast numbers of people who are undoubtedly psychosomatic tic but VI who never seek treat treat- I merit ment for this you can Ima ine how many are ill simply because they think they are Impact of Emotions on Business Everyone recognizes the parts pla played red by religIon and psychiatry in developIng en en- en entirely new successful and happy personalities Industry itself has made surveys which indicate that the cause of many serious and costly strikes es Is not economic Instead many have a purely emotion emotion- emotional al origin the emphasIs real real- really ly is more on recognition see se- security and individual atten atten- attention tion than on wages or hours Hence why is it not likely tha that t business depressions could be profoundly affected by emotional currents I wonder wandel what might hap hap- happen happen pen during this new year if business and people general general- generally ly should begin to feel fe-el cauti- cauti cautious ous and pessimistic irrespective tive of conditions and of what the economists and bankers forecast While most econom- econom economists economists predict a business ad vance during 1964 could the mental and emotional health of our OUI people reverse the trend in spite of the time all highs now existing in employ employ- employment ment production earnings and retail trade I sometimes wonder If 11 we are right In fig fig- figuring solely on money em em- employment sales etc as the criteria for prosperity Per Per- Perhaps haps someday It will be found that mental and emo emo- emo emotional do more to mold our business patterns than the purely economic bar bar- barometers I feel sure even now that our spiritual and mental health does affect business conditions It is certainly an Interesting area for further study |