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Ian Colburn
Connie S. Douglas
Eng-111-98
5 April 2016
Mimicry
Human beings are unique creatures by nature. All of us look different, sound different,
and act different, and all of these things make up who we are as a person. However, human
beings are also social creatures by nature, and although it may not be obvious at first, these two
integral parts of humanity heavily contradict one another. This behavior is known as mimicry,
which is when an individual acts a certain way in order to try and be more like others around
them. We practice this every day in many different forms, but there are three major forms that
will be explained today. Mimicry is an integral part of social interaction, but why do humans
mimic one another and how do they mimic?
Many people can attest to finding themselves in a situation where the people around them
influence all of their interests, without them ever being aware of this fact. It is very common to
do and say things that people do not mean or enjoy in an attempt to fit into the groups around
them. These people will follow the majority just because that is what everyone else is doing.
However, some people wonder why we do these things. One of the most prevalent reasons is
nothing more than a natural process of the brain. The act of mimicking another person has been
proven to build strong bonds between individuals and can easily promote longer, healthier
relationships. As Doctor Alain Samson once stated in an article for PsychologyToday Mimicry
has social benefits. Imitating others helps build rapport between two people or bond together
social groups. The brain knows this, even if the individual does not, so often brain functions

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will subconsciously try to pick up on, and mirror the interests and habits of those around them.
Susan Scutti stated in an article for Medical Daily, Imitation of sentence structure and
intonation facilitates communication. Two people will find it easier to understand each other if
they share a conversational style. Similarly, mirroring anothers gestures and postures builds
rapport. We like those who are similar to ourselves, so this unconscious social technique
effectively greases the wheels of friendship and makes our life easier. It is really a good
strategy, as many people know that it is much easier to hold a conversation with someone who
shares a common interest.
However, there is a certain point at which mimicry stops being about getting to know
someone, and becomes more about fitting in and maintaining a social image. When put into a
new group of people, many individuals will find themselves unsure and self conscious about
decisions that they make. Whether it is wanting to go to a different restaurant than your friends,
or wanting to go home instead of staying out late, many individuals find it far easier to just
follow the decisions of the majority. In their minds, this prevents them from standing out in a bad
way and makes them more appealing to others around them. Out of fear of being shunned by a
group of people, individuals will forfeit their own desires for the desires of the group (People
Mimic Each Other).Usually this sentiment will pertain to larger groups of people in which the
majority is vast and the minority is suppressed. A good example of this kind of mimicry can be
seen in the primary research gathered for this ethnography. This research was conducted at the
local Concord Mills shopping mall, a place that many people frequent. While there, the observer
noticed a large of group of children who looked to be about thirteen to fifteen years of age. The
children all appeared to be around the age of average middle schoolers, and the majority of the
group consisted of male caucasians. While the observer did not pay close attention to them at

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first, as the observer continued watching, the observer started to notice some strange behaviors
within the group. The first odd thing was that all of the boys and girls were wearing the same
type of outfits. The boys were all wearing tank tops from brands like Nike, Adidas, and other
popular sporting goods brands. The girls were wearing similar clothing, but from more fashion
oriented brands instead. Their shoes were very similar and their hairstyles were almost identical.
As the observer looked even closer, he noticed that many of the children had shopping bags from
the same store, and all seemed to be talking about the same places and things. It is very unlikely
that these children all shared exactly the same interests, and instead the observer realized that
they were all copying one another just to try and fit in with their peers. Another thing the
observer noticed, was how the group of children seemed to mirror each other in behavior. Many
times, one of the children would be speaking as the others listened and interjected occasionally.
When the children would interject, their body language and movement directly mirrored that of
the original speaker. If the speaker had been moving their arms and making many gestures when
they spoke, the child who interjected would also tend to use gestures and move their arms.
However, it was sometimes even more subtle than that, with the speaker fidgeting around with
their hands while speaking, and the their children doing the same, even though they may not
have noticed that the original speaker was even making the motions to begin with. This
demonstrated to the observer just how subliminal mimicry can be when in a social setting. Even
though we are not able to notice that it is happening, our subconscious performs mimicry to help
us fare better within social scenarios.
Despite this, mimicry is not always something that, when aware of, people are keen to
carry out. All human beings have this illusion of uniqueness about them. Everyone needs to feel
that he or she are his or her own person and are not just a carbon copy of those around them. This

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is why, when you are out to dinner with someone, you are unlikely to order the same meal he or
she ordered and why you may feel embarrassed if you are wearing the same clothes as someone
else at a party (Samson) We do not want to copy someone consciously because we feel that it
devalues our sense of self. We cease being ourselves and instead just follow the trends that other
people are setting. While mimicry can be used to increase a bond with someone, it also can also
take away from our individuality.
Mimicry is a powerful tool in our social arsenals that can be used to create healthy
relationships, or make us fit in more with other people. Mimicry can even be used to drive us
away from something in an attempt to retain our individuality. Mimicry shapes our personalities
and can determine our relationships with other people, and all of that is just a natural process of
the brain. Our brain is what causes us to act so much like our friends and co-workers, because it
understands that doing so can be much more beneficial to us socially. Even if we are not aware
of it, mimicry is always working in background and guides everything that we do. It works in the
background to help us within social situations by making us able to more easily connect with
others and helps to quickly form bonds, but it can also cause us to deviate from our usual
behaviors once we are aware of its presence. Mimicry is neither good nor bad, as it is just a
human instinct, however mimicry is a part of all our lives, even if we do not know it.

Citations

"People Mimic Each Other, But We Arent Chameleons." Association for Psychological Science
RSS. 10 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.

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Samson, Alain. "Copy That." Psychology Today. 11 Apr. 2012. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

Scutti, Susan. "When It Comes To Socializing, People Are Parrots." Medical Daily. 20 May
2015. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.