One of the things that is an important feature of our brains is their ability to story tell. The idea that our left hemisphere is analytical came out of the work of Roger Sperry and Michael Gazanaga when they were investigating these people who had the two hemispheres of their brain surgically severed. They discovered this part of your brain that is always interpreting the why of what you're doing because it's making inferences like I think I saw the sun but I drew thisWhat must be the plausible reason for this and intact brain might that feel like right? We have all of these implicit automatic habitual ways of behaving that we don't have conscious access to so let's say 70%
Your manager sees it one way. Your colleague sees it another. Both ways are different from yours. Why is that? Well, our brains may have something to do with it.
Today’s brain researchers are studying what makes our brains different. They’re finding that these differences not only impact how we interpret situations, but also how well we’re able to focus, learn new things, and adapt to change. They’re also discovering what motivates us and how well we connect with teammates.
Chantel Prat is a neuroscientist who studies brain differences, and she’s written a book on the subject, The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain is Different and How to Understand Yours. In it, she explains how differences in brain design play out in work and in life. She helps us appreciate these differences and gain greater empathy for one another.
Episode Links
The Dress
Michael Gazzaniga and Roger Wolcott Sperry and Simon Baron-Cohen
Hebbian Theory
PACE Model of Curiosity
Theory of Mind
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
The Team
Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.
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