Your brain at work

The human brain has an inherent capacity known as "mindfulness" or "meta-awareness" that allows a person to step back and observe their own thoughts and experiences objectively. This ability, which cognitive scientists recognized back in the 1970s, is akin to having an internal "director" that watches the events of one's life unfold. The director makes decisions about how the brain will respond to stimuli and can even alter thought patterns and behaviors.

Everyone possesses this director, but levels of mindfulness vary from person to person. Essentially, the more often an individual activates their internal director, the more control they gain over the way they process information and act. By regularly stepping back from subjective first-hand experiences and analyzing them objectively, people can improve their effectiveness in work and life.

Social neuroscientist Kevin Ochsner likens activating one's internal director to interacting with another person. It provides a third-person perspective on the self, as if you have become a detached camera filming your own responses. This meta-awareness does not rely on meditation, religion, or any particular spiritual practice. The capacity for self-reflection arises from innate biological characteristics of the human brain.

Our brains are far more complex than simple logic processors. At every moment, our brains evaluate whether the world around us poses threats or offers rewards, signaling how we should feel through our emotions. By consciously directing our emotions, we can remain calm under pressure and perform more effectively in the inherent chaos of life.

The human brain is fundamentally organized to minimize perceived dangers, which elicit a strong “get away” response, while maximizing rewards, which elicit a weaker “go towards” response. The “get away from danger” response also tends to be faster, more intense, and longer-lasting than the “go towards rewards” response.

At work, there are three common factors that can impede effective brain functioning: high stress, uncertainty, and unmet expectations. Neuroscience offers insights into productively addressing these pitfalls.

Research shows emotional experiences involve the limbic system, an extensive neural network connecting emotions to thoughts, objects, people, and events. The easily aroused limbic system reacts strongly to potential threats. Attempting to suppress emotions once they arise will only intensify them. Suppressed emotions also substantially reduce memory formation. Others sense when someone fights strong emotions, causing discomfort.

Given these realities, a brain-friendly approach to handling potentially overwhelming emotions at work entails: - Pausing to consciously label arising emotions before they intensify, as labeling dampens limbic system arousal. - Actively observing emotions with your conscious “director” makes inappropriate reactions less likely and prevents later regret over words and actions. - Identifying triggers that heighten anxious feelings and mitigating those factors proactively. With practice, even intense pressure can drive enhanced performance.

The brain automatically seeks rewards, approaching them, while avoiding threats. Certainty and autonomy register as rewards, while uncertainty and lack of control register as threats. Hence situations eliciting strong emotions often involve perceived rewards and/or threats regarding certainty and autonomy.

Collaboration is key in the modern workplace, but effectively working together can be challenging. Common issues that arise include conflicts due to perceived threats to status, lack of fairness, or not feeling psychologically safe. Insights from neuroscience research can provide guidance on addressing the brain's innate social needs in order to facilitate better collaboration.

The human brain is wired to crave social connection with the same intensity as basic needs like food and water. Positive social interactions are not just nice to have, they constitute a fundamental human need. Lack of social connection creates a craving to restore what is missing, similar to hunger or thirst. The brain's reward circuitry activates in response to cues of positive social interaction, like a smiling face. Research shows that even brief isolation can spark intense "craving" responses for social contact in areas of the brain normally activated by primary rewards like food.

Safe social bonds build the foundation for good collaboration. You need to actively build worthwhile connections with teammates to meet the brain's social needs. The default assumption in the brain is that unfamiliar people are potential threats rather than friends. However, just a few minutes of personal connection can dampen the automatic threat response. Getting to know your collaborators as people makes it easier for their brains as well as yours to relax and work together more smoothly.

Making any kind of change is challenging, and facilitating change in others can be even more difficult. However, the brain is adept at adapting to shifts in external factors. It can also be altered by a change in focus. If you can redirect someone's attention from perceiving threat to concentrating on a shared goal, you can boost their performance. Rather than offering constructive criticism, emphasize solutions.

The human brain continuously evolves in response to changes in the outside world. When collaborating with someone on a project who approaches you with an issue, your instinct may be to provide "constructive" feedback. However, this feedback or suggestions are likely to trigger an intense threat response in the other person, fixating them on the perceived danger rather than moving the project forward. A more effective strategy is to encourage internal reflection, activating their own self-monitoring to re-evaluate their thought processes. External input is unlikely to tap into intrinsic motivation and reward-seeking mechanisms. Self-generated feedback, however, can get them back on track.

So how can you actually help people change? First, accurately evaluate the other person's emotional state before attempting to influence them. If they seem defensive or threatened, hold off. They will not be receptive in that mindset. Next, apply the five elements of the SCARF model to shift them into a more positive outlook: Status - Find opportunities to increase their standing Certainty - Alleviate anxiety by clarifying expectations Autonomy - Provide choices to boost empowerment Relatedness - Strengthen interpersonal bonds Fairness - Ensure equitable treatment