How a simple high five can change everything

Back in 2017 we were all a little teary-eyed by Barry White Jr., the teacher who greeted each of his 5th graders with a personalized handshake every morning.

What an awesome human. 👊

Handshakes, high fives, and pandemic-friendly elbow-bumps communicate encouragement, acceptance, and friendship far better than words ever could.

But bestselling author Mel Robbins thinks kids shouldn’t just be high-fiving their teachers, parents and friends — they should be high-fiving themselves.

Ok, I know it sounds a little wacky, I thought the same thing.

But when I dove into the research behind this practice, my curiosity piqued.

🧠 The brain science behind the high five

Let’s forget about weirdly high-fiving yourself for a minute and focus on how a simple high five can have a profound psychological impact.

It's all about neuroscience. 👇

When you give or receive a high five, your brain mixes up a neurochemical cocktail of feel-good libations like:

• Dopamine

• Serotonin

• Oxytocin 

This trio boosts your mood, increases happiness, and strengthens social bonds. 

For kids, this means a high five from a parent isn’t just a sign of approval — it's a brain-boosting reward.

The crazy part is your kids don’t even have to experience a high five to garner the neurological benefits.

Our brains have these cool cells called “mirror neurons” that fire not only when we perform an action, but when we observe someone else doing it.

So when your kid sees athletes high-fiving on the field, or game show contestants high-fiving after scoring points, their mirror neurons fire, simulating the experience and its positive effects. This helps in developing empathy and understanding social cues.

So if they’re gonna watch TV, throw on shows with lotsa high fives!

🙌 Why your kid should give themselves a high five

Mel Robbins wrote an entire book about the value of self high fives.

Mel claims that this practice will “immediately boost your mood, build your confidence, and give you the burst of inspiration and support that you need.”

Her method is broken down into three steps that should be performed every morning:

1. Look in the mirror

2. Set an intention — something you want to achieve that day

3. Give your reflection a high five

Awkward. I know.

But when you blend the neurological benefits of a high five with power of intention, it’s worth 10-seconds awkwardness to give a shot. 🤷

Try it with your kids this week.

Challenge them to do the high five exercise five days in a row, then get in touch and tell me how it went!

The worst that can happen is a handprint on your bathroom mirror. 🖐️