Body Doubling  

Body doubling is a new term used to describe the way that you can get more done in another person’s presence. While there is no research to prove its effectiveness, it has been helping people. Body doubling is when you and a friend or partner do work in the same room or on videochat. It helps with accountability, because when you are by yourself and have to do work, there is no one there to truly hold you accountable for doing it. This often leads to you becoming sidetracked with other tasks, where having another person around will keep you in check. 

This method has been helping people with ADHD, and with the amount of mental health issues now days, this method could be very effective and helpful for our generation and future ones to come. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that stems from underdeveloped or impaired executive function and self-regulation skills. People with ADHD lack the skills to plan, focus, remember instructions, and multitask. This affects your work/school life and your at home life. ADHD can make you feel unmotivated towards certain tasks, making it hard to complete or even start them. Having another person with you to hold you accountable to get things done is what starts the motivation, and body doubling does just that.  

Be careful who you pick to be your body double though- if the person you are with is just going to talk to you, it is just going to make the situation worse. Make sure your body double is just as committed to getting your work done as you are. 

Real Life Body Doubling Story 

This method was used on one of Linda Anderson’s clients named David. David was running a business at home. Davids’s workspace was very organized, and he had his own working system. While being physically organized in his offices, his mind felt disorganized and hard to focus. David was diagnosed with ADD which is why he is feeling this way even though he is physically organized, mentally he is all over the place. David has a really hard time staying on task with his work stating, “you know, it seems that, sometimes, if I just have my wife sitting in a chair nearby, I can accomplish more than if I’m alone.” Linda had seen this before too, with other clients, just having someone in your presence brought clarity and focus to the mind. The phenomenon of just being there, Linda Anderson named the body double. 

“In the 1980s, neuroscientist Giacomo Rizzolatti, MD, along with colleagues at the University of Parma, made a serendipitous discovery while researching macaque monkeys. They observed that specific neurons in the macaque’s brain fired when watching another monkey, or a human, reach for a peanut. They named these neurons ‘mirror neurons.’” (Anderson) it is theorized that mirror neurons also exist in humans. Having mirror neurons makes a lot of sense, it explains why we are able to empathize with others, but the scientific community does not say this is entirely true. They are in a disagreement on whether humans have mirror neurons, so this is just a theory and not a fact. 

Story found:https://add.org/the-body-double/ 

You do not have to be diagnosed with ADHD or ADD to use this method. This method should work on anyone who feels unmotivated and helpless. The feeling of wanting to do your work but not knowing where to start and feeling mentally incapable of completing a task is a horrible feeling. This method of course will not work for everyone, but it is worth a try. 

Body doubling explains why people have a hard time getting work done outside of school. Some students have a hard time doing their schoolwork at home but have no problem completing it at school in the classroom. Body doubling explains this because you are in a room full of people plus your teacher is holding you accountable for the work you need to do. It all really comes down to accountability, it is extremely hard to hold yourself accountable for doing things you do not necessarily want to. 

“I absolutely think body doubling works. I am way more efficient in doing my work and cleaning my room and overall getting anything done when someone is around to chat with and hold me accountable.” Mackenzie Patenaude 

“I think body doubling is a very effective tool. When I need to clean my room, I have my friend Jenna come over because I won’t do it if she’s not there. She doesn’t help me clean she just sits there but for some reason it makes me motivated to do it.” Ellie Snodgrass