Interpersonal Communication- A Mindful Approach to Relationships, 2020a

understand: physiological, psychological, social, and cultural.
Some of the reasons why we don’t interpret things, in the same way are due to physiology. Hence, biology
has an impact on what we do and do not perceive. In this section, we will discuss the various physiological
influences.
1. Senses – Our senses can have an impact on what and where we focus our attention. For instance,
if you have a strong sense of smell, you might be more sensitive to a foul-smelling odor compared
to someone who cannot smell anything due to sinus problems. Our senses give us a different
perception of the world.
2. Age – Age can impact what we perceive. Have you ever noticed that children have so much
energy, and the elderly do not? Children may perceive that there is so much to do in a day, and
the elderly may perceive that there is nothing to do. Our age influences how we think about things.
3. Health – when we are healthy, we have the stamina and endurance to do many things. However,
when we are sick, our bodies may be more inclined to rest. Thus, we will perceive a lot of
information differently. For instance, when you are healthy, some of your favorite meals will taste
really good, but when you are sick, it might not taste so good, because you cannot smell things due
to a stuffy nose.
4. Hunger – When you are hungry, it is tough to concentrate on anything except food. Studies have
shown that when people are hungry, all they focus on is something to eat.
5. Biological cycles – Some people are “morning larks” and some are “night owls.” In other words,
there are peaks where people perform at their highest level. For some individuals, it is late at
night, and for others, it is early in the morning. When people perform at their peak times, they
are likely to be more perceptive of information. If you are a person who loves getting up early, you
would probably hate night classes, because you are not able to absorb as much information as you
could if the class was in the morning.
Sometimes the influences on perception are not physiological but psychological. These influences
include mood and self-concept. These influences are based in our mind, and we can’t detect them in
others.
1. Mood – Whether we are happy or sad can affect how we view the world. For instance, if we are
happy, then anything that happens, we might view it more positively.
2. Self-concept – If we have a healthy self-concept of ourselves, we may not be offended if someone
makes a negative remark. Yet, if we have a poor self-concept of ourselves, then we are probably
going to be more influenced by negative remarks. The stronger our self-concept is, the more likely
it will affect how we view perceive other people’s communication behaviors toward us.
Social influences include sex and gender roles, as well as occupational roles. These roles can impact our
perceptions. Because we are in these roles, we might be likely to think differently than others in different
roles.
1. Sex and gender roles – We have certain expectations in our culture regarding how men and
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