WORD OF THE DAY! 5/30/12.

psycho somatic [sahy-koh-suh-mat-ik]

adjective

1. Of or pertaining to a physical disorder that is caused by or notably influenced by emotional factors.

2. Pertaining to or involving both the mind and the body.

EX. Sometimes, psycho somatic reactions don't have to involve an illness, mental or physical. My favorite sort of reaction is those caused by simulation of digital or imagined actions. Pictured above, the young man is reacting to the turning of his wheel in the game, by turning his entire body. This is a common experience in gaming. Unfortunately, with the advent of motion controls, this sort of motion is usually a hindrance.

More common examples of such reactions are the physical reactions people have to cultural memes, especially popular ones. Like when someone hears the "Macarena" or someone says the word, some people place their hands out and do the motions.

A great example of these empathetic experiences would be in my A D & D group. A character, in game, was using a crystal ball. One of the other characters asked to look at it. In real life, the first player actually handed an invisible object to the other person and, when done, the other person handed it back; and they laughed at their dorkiness.