You know those people that light up a room the second they walk in? How do they get to be so sparkly? Is it something you’re born with, or can you cultivate it?
I saw an article on Oprah.com that answers those questions. Here’s an excerpt:
How To Light Up A Room
The Charisma Meter
By Jessica Winter O, The Oprah Magazine| September 14, 2010It takes charisma. Scientists are just beginning to understand this alluring and elusive quality that makes us shine.
What is the X factor that links all the luminaries on O‘s Power List? Is it stunning good looks, a sky-high IQ, a genius for witty banter? No, no, and no. It’s charisma: an aura of personality that draws people in and holds their rapt attention. A George Clooney or a Sandra Bullock taps into this magic stuff at will—but so does your neighbor who brightens the dullest cocktail hour, or your office colleague with the infectious smile who’s shimmying up the corporate ladder like Jack on his beanstalk. Charisma is as seductive as it is elusive; its powers are hard to resist and equally hard to pinpoint. But in recent years, researchers have been studying this seemingly intangible quality—the je ne sais quoi that separates, say, a Bill Clinton from an Al Gore—and making it concrete. In doing so, they’ve taken what we think of as a mysterious gift and distilled it down to a science. The Charisma Recipe Read More
Love it. It’s a rare quality. Lately I’ve been picking it up from Steven Tyler on American Idol…and wondering what it is that gives some people charisma. Your’e always right on target with something I’m thinking about, Stephanie.
We’re all in this together!
Cool. Charisma is something you just feel and it’s hard to put your finger on…who else do you think of who has it? I guess it’s also different things to different people.
My personal bias on charisma, as you might guess, is that it is energetic. The lighter we are and the brighter we beam out into the world, the more charismatic we are. That means, of course, clearing the (physical, emotional, mental) clutter so that we can be more bright and beam more brightly.
interesting…I guess maybe Steven’s cocky kind of clown-like approach to life creates that kind of positive energy and lightness of bding…is there anyone you find charismatic? My Monday group is making a vision board for the year…it just has to evolve as the year goes on but my anchor word is still “clear.”
Ellen Degeneres and Oprah come to mind as being very charismatic.
There’s a new gal who plays the doctor Lucy Fields on Grey’s Anatomy. I can’t explain it but she is quite a bright light. I don’t even know her real name.