Time for a (Brain) Myth Buster
Quiz time! Which of the following are true:
We use only 10 percent of our brains.
It's all downhill after age 40 (or 60, these days).
Our brains are like computers.
A conk on the head can cause amnesia.
We see the world as it is.
Did you guess "true" for all of them? Not surprising, as these represent some common truisms about the brain. In fact, I doubt we could find one person who hasn't read or heard at least one of these at some point in their life.
But it was a trick quiz. None of these are true. According to an article on Smithsonian.com, they all represent brain myths rather than realities. Which is interesting since most people consider them "facts" that we all know to be true.
Let's look at a couple of them.
The idea that we only use 10 percent of our brain at any given time implies a huge reservoir of untapped brainpower. If we could somehow gain access to this hidden reserve of smarts we could take over the world, right? Maybe not.
According to the article, brain scans show that we use much more than 10 percent of the brain at any given time, even when engaged in simple tasks. Plus, it offers no evolutionary advantage to have all this extra brainpower sitting around unused. So while we could all probably apply our brainpower more judiciously, the idea that we have a treasure trove of extra brain energy does not pass muster.
The idea that it's all downhill after age 30, 40, 50 (or whatever milestone decade comes next for you)? Just another "fact" that doesn't stand the light of day. Obviously, some cognitive skills get weaker as we get older. But a number of mental abilities actually improve with age, including vocabulary, conflict resolution skills, and social judgment. We also seem to get better at managing our emotions and finding meaning in life.
For me, the notion that we see the world as it is represents the biggest myth of all. I talk about this all the time in my keynote presentations. And I blog about it on a regular basis because it has such a huge impact on how we manage and lead our organizations.
Contrary to popular belief, humans do not take in information from the world in a passive, objective fashion. Instead, we constantly evaluate our sensory input based on deeply held beliefs about how the world works. We look for patterns that match our expectations. We actively filter in information that agrees with our view of the world. And we actively filter out information that disagrees with it.
Ultimately, our view of the world is driven by what we expect to see rather than what we actually see.
In business, this translates into mistaken assumptions about everything from what we think the customer wants to where our next competitive threats will come from. When we make major decisions based on untested assumptions rather than a broader view of reality, we pay a steep price.
Unfortunately, the way our brain operates gives us more to contend with than just a highly subjective data filter. In the absence of information, the brain also has a disturbing tendency to make stuff up. Not surprisingly, the stuff we make up is almost always based on our subjective view of the world. As a result, we tend to engage in a variety of behaviors that undermine sound decision-making. These include:
Doing or believing things because others do the same.
Searching for or interpreting information in a way that confirms our preconceived ideas.
Overestimating the degree to which others agree with us.
Adopting the opinions of others and/or following the behaviors of the majority in order to feel safe and avoid conflict.
Seeing past events as being predictable.
Disliking people, ideas, and events because they are new or unfamiliar.
Unconsciously assuming that others share our thoughts, beliefs, values, or positions.
Engaging in behaviors in order to produce results that confirm our beliefs.
Preferring that things stay relatively the same.
Predictably, these behaviors (most of which happen just below the level of consciousness) lead to the same outcomes as making decisions based on myth rather than fact.
We can't change the way the brain works. But we can stay aware of our tendency to filter and distort incoming information. We can pause from time to time, reflect on our view of the world, and make sure we're operating from real data rather than false assumptions. And we can pause to examine our thinking processes by making them visible to others.
Unlearning old ways of thinking is nothing new. We just have to do it more frequently than in the past. The constant running we do today leads us to believe (mistakenly) that we don't have the time to slow down to get it right. Speed has become more important than almost anything else.
Just think of all the myths we've had to unlearn in the past hundred years or so. Heavier-than-air flight is impossible. Man will never break the 4-minute mile barrier.
Eggs are bad for you. Baseball players don't take steroids. The oceans are so big they make a great place to dump our garbage. Pluto is a planet. The list goes on and on.
With so much information available via the Internet, we can easily get caught up in thinking that the secret to success lies in learning faster than our competitors. I say we first need to unlearn the myths that we believe to be true and do our best to see the world in a broader way. Only then can we lead our organizations in the right direction.
In today's fast-paced world, the need to unlearn the myths we perceive to be truths is more urgent than ever. What myth about your business will you unlearn today?
Consultant, Author, Speaker
Holly Green is the CEO of THE HUMAN FACTOR, Inc. ( http://www.thehumanfactor.biz ) She has over 20 years of executive level and operations experience in FORTUNE 100, entrepreneurial, and management consulting organizations.
Green's background stretches across strategic planning, organization design and development, and leadership assessment and development. She has been responsible for successfully designing and building critical infrastructures in several organizations and has worked as both an internal and external resource for multinational corporations including: AT&T, Dell Computer, Bass Hotels & Resorts, Expedia, RealNetworks, Microsoft and Google. She was previously president of The Ken Blanchard Companies, a global consulting and training organization, and the biotech firm LumMed.
Her commitment to educating executives on how to be effective leaders and managers in today's changing world is evident with a proven track record of value-added delivery. As a sought-after speaker and consultant, she has received national recognition and in 2007 was honored as a dynamic business leader and role model receiving the Women Who Mean Business Award.
Holly conducts more than 50 workshops annually for Vistage, the world's largest CEO membership organization. She is also a frequent keynote speaker for numerous corporate and professional associations. Her book, More Than A Minute: How To Be An Effective Leader & Manager In Today's Changing World ( http://www.MoreThanaMinute.com ) lends voice to her corporate experience and goes beyond the theory of leading and managing by providing practical action oriented information..
We use only 10 percent of our brains.
It's all downhill after age 40 (or 60, these days).
Our brains are like computers.
A conk on the head can cause amnesia.
We see the world as it is.
Did you guess "true" for all of them? Not surprising, as these represent some common truisms about the brain. In fact, I doubt we could find one person who hasn't read or heard at least one of these at some point in their life.
But it was a trick quiz. None of these are true. According to an article on Smithsonian.com, they all represent brain myths rather than realities. Which is interesting since most people consider them "facts" that we all know to be true.
Let's look at a couple of them.
The idea that we only use 10 percent of our brain at any given time implies a huge reservoir of untapped brainpower. If we could somehow gain access to this hidden reserve of smarts we could take over the world, right? Maybe not.
According to the article, brain scans show that we use much more than 10 percent of the brain at any given time, even when engaged in simple tasks. Plus, it offers no evolutionary advantage to have all this extra brainpower sitting around unused. So while we could all probably apply our brainpower more judiciously, the idea that we have a treasure trove of extra brain energy does not pass muster.
The idea that it's all downhill after age 30, 40, 50 (or whatever milestone decade comes next for you)? Just another "fact" that doesn't stand the light of day. Obviously, some cognitive skills get weaker as we get older. But a number of mental abilities actually improve with age, including vocabulary, conflict resolution skills, and social judgment. We also seem to get better at managing our emotions and finding meaning in life.
For me, the notion that we see the world as it is represents the biggest myth of all. I talk about this all the time in my keynote presentations. And I blog about it on a regular basis because it has such a huge impact on how we manage and lead our organizations.
Contrary to popular belief, humans do not take in information from the world in a passive, objective fashion. Instead, we constantly evaluate our sensory input based on deeply held beliefs about how the world works. We look for patterns that match our expectations. We actively filter in information that agrees with our view of the world. And we actively filter out information that disagrees with it.
Ultimately, our view of the world is driven by what we expect to see rather than what we actually see.
In business, this translates into mistaken assumptions about everything from what we think the customer wants to where our next competitive threats will come from. When we make major decisions based on untested assumptions rather than a broader view of reality, we pay a steep price.
Unfortunately, the way our brain operates gives us more to contend with than just a highly subjective data filter. In the absence of information, the brain also has a disturbing tendency to make stuff up. Not surprisingly, the stuff we make up is almost always based on our subjective view of the world. As a result, we tend to engage in a variety of behaviors that undermine sound decision-making. These include:
Doing or believing things because others do the same.
Searching for or interpreting information in a way that confirms our preconceived ideas.
Overestimating the degree to which others agree with us.
Adopting the opinions of others and/or following the behaviors of the majority in order to feel safe and avoid conflict.
Seeing past events as being predictable.
Disliking people, ideas, and events because they are new or unfamiliar.
Unconsciously assuming that others share our thoughts, beliefs, values, or positions.
Engaging in behaviors in order to produce results that confirm our beliefs.
Preferring that things stay relatively the same.
Predictably, these behaviors (most of which happen just below the level of consciousness) lead to the same outcomes as making decisions based on myth rather than fact.
We can't change the way the brain works. But we can stay aware of our tendency to filter and distort incoming information. We can pause from time to time, reflect on our view of the world, and make sure we're operating from real data rather than false assumptions. And we can pause to examine our thinking processes by making them visible to others.
Unlearning old ways of thinking is nothing new. We just have to do it more frequently than in the past. The constant running we do today leads us to believe (mistakenly) that we don't have the time to slow down to get it right. Speed has become more important than almost anything else.
Just think of all the myths we've had to unlearn in the past hundred years or so. Heavier-than-air flight is impossible. Man will never break the 4-minute mile barrier.
Eggs are bad for you. Baseball players don't take steroids. The oceans are so big they make a great place to dump our garbage. Pluto is a planet. The list goes on and on.
With so much information available via the Internet, we can easily get caught up in thinking that the secret to success lies in learning faster than our competitors. I say we first need to unlearn the myths that we believe to be true and do our best to see the world in a broader way. Only then can we lead our organizations in the right direction.
In today's fast-paced world, the need to unlearn the myths we perceive to be truths is more urgent than ever. What myth about your business will you unlearn today?
Consultant, Author, Speaker
Holly Green is the CEO of THE HUMAN FACTOR, Inc. ( http://www.thehumanfactor.biz ) She has over 20 years of executive level and operations experience in FORTUNE 100, entrepreneurial, and management consulting organizations.
Green's background stretches across strategic planning, organization design and development, and leadership assessment and development. She has been responsible for successfully designing and building critical infrastructures in several organizations and has worked as both an internal and external resource for multinational corporations including: AT&T, Dell Computer, Bass Hotels & Resorts, Expedia, RealNetworks, Microsoft and Google. She was previously president of The Ken Blanchard Companies, a global consulting and training organization, and the biotech firm LumMed.
Her commitment to educating executives on how to be effective leaders and managers in today's changing world is evident with a proven track record of value-added delivery. As a sought-after speaker and consultant, she has received national recognition and in 2007 was honored as a dynamic business leader and role model receiving the Women Who Mean Business Award.
Holly conducts more than 50 workshops annually for Vistage, the world's largest CEO membership organization. She is also a frequent keynote speaker for numerous corporate and professional associations. Her book, More Than A Minute: How To Be An Effective Leader & Manager In Today's Changing World ( http://www.MoreThanaMinute.com ) lends voice to her corporate experience and goes beyond the theory of leading and managing by providing practical action oriented information..
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