i developed for this group just a really quick future on activity that i found really effective for getting people to step out of that abstract, sort of new jerk reaction, is it right or wrong to do this? Just by asking them to imagine that they have received a 500 or thousand dollar check in the mail. And then imagine calling your maam and asking her, and what does she tell you that she's spending it on?! I'm hoping that we can do that for other types of transformative policies.
In January 2020, when the coronavirus started making headlines around the world, Jane McGonigal’s inbox was flooded with emails from Silicon Valley execs, government officials, and non-profit leaders. They all had the same question: “Jane, didn’t you run a simulation of a respiratory pandemic?”
Yes, she had. All the way back in 2010.
Jane is a game designer. She builds simulations that help players imagine the unimaginable. And in 2010, she invited nearly 20,000 people to immerse themselves in a future world besieged by a global pandemic. “How would you change your habits?” she asked. “What social interactions would you avoid? Can you work from home?”
A decade later, when COVID went from nascent threat to full-blown crisis, Jane started hearing from folks who had participated in the simulation. “I’m not freaking out,” one of them said with relief. “I already worked through the panic and anxiety when we imagined it ten years ago.”
According to the latest research in psychology and neuroscience, we can all learn to make the shift from panic to poise by training our brains to think about the unthinkable. But what does that training look like? In her new book, “Imaginable” — and on today’s episode — Jane shares evidence-based techniques you can use to see the future coming.
URGENT OPTIMISTS:
Want to participate in one of Jane's Simulations? Visit urgentoptimists.org
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