Brains On Purpose™

Want to improve visual communication? Here are 10 principles

We have looked at the pictograph path in past posts and considered the benefits of visual communication in conflict resolution (or in almost any situation when you want thoughts and feelings better understood). I recently discovered a terrific resource to help us communicate with pictures. It's a book with the title Picture This: How Pictures Work.

In this delightful book, you will read, and see illustrated, 10 principles of design and picture composition. 

The first four:

• Smooth, flat surfaces, horizontal shapes give us a sense of stability and calm.
• Vertical shapes are more exciting and more active. Vertical shapes rebel against the earth's gravity. They imply energy and a reaching toward heights or the heavens.
• Diagonal shapes are dynamic because they imply motion or tension.
• The upper half of a picture is a place of freedom, happiness, and triumph; objects placed in the top half often feel more spiritual.

In addition to appreciating the practical guidance in the principles, I find them inspiring as metaphors. Makes me want to live in the top half of my picture of life with some vertical shapes living with me.

For the other six principles, and to see illustrations from the book, click here. The principles are also here and many other places on the 'net.

Learn about your brain from a comic book? Yep, this one's from an artist/neuroscientist team

Soon you will be able to read a neurocomic, a book created by a comic artist and a scientist who studies the brain. Click to learn more and watch a short video (The Verge) about the forthcoming graphic novel.

More about the book in this video from The Guardian.

Seven keys to change are also seven elements of conflict resolution—And seven ingredients in brain changing

Are there essential precursors to change? Professor Fred Hanna believes so. His book Therapy With Difficult Clients: Using the Precursors Model to Awaken Change lays out seven precursors, and gives suggestions on how to enhance them. As you can tell from the book title, Dr. Hanna's audience is therapists. Although mediation is not therapy, knowledge of these seven can help conflict professionals to assess missing ingredients when movement towards resolution seems jammed, dammed, or barred.

Here are the seven:

1. A sense of necessity for change
2. A willingness or readiness to experience anxiety or difficulty
3. Awareness of the problem
4. Confronting the problem (...culmination of awareness but is not the same)
5. Effort or will toward change
6. Hope for change
7. Social support for change

Click to read "Overcoming Resistance in Difficult Clients: Techniques and Precursors of Change" for definitions of each of the seven. As you will see, each of them is a precursor to self-directed neuroplasticity: changing the pathways in your brain to make changes in your relationship, your behavior, your perspective, your conflict.

As I read and reread the list, and pondered each item, I liked the list more and more. Partly because it is a good inventory for the parties to conflict, but more because these are essential for mediators, too. Do you agree that mediators need to base their process, regardless of the model they use, on these states and traits in themselves?

What would you add to the list? Would you eliminate any of the elements?

Mediation is not the only arena where neuromyths abound: A highly recommended article

As attention on neuroscience from mediators grows, so does the inaccurate information and unwarranted extrapolation from the research. That's not a new observation; I have blogged about the problem many times in the past. (One antidote: See below for titles of a couple of good books to help you be a wise consumer of brain science.)

This growth of neuromyths is not happening only in the field of conflict resolution. Frontiers in Educational Psychology has just published an article detailing many of the most common neuromyths in education. Click to read "Neuromyths in education: Prevalence and predictors of misconceptions among teachers." The test at the end might be fun for you to take. Some of the neuromyths listed have been presented by mediators as accurate: for example, #15 regarding learning styles.

The article is very good. The problems described with teachers incorporating neuroscience into the classroom parallel those problems with science being imported into the conflict resolution setting. If a practitioner is going to incorporate neuroscience into his or her mediation models and processes, caution and discernment is recommended. Not everything you hear or read is accurate.

I frequently recommend these two books to increase one's ability to discern what brain research might be of practical assistance in the field.

• Psychology's Ghosts: The Crisis in the Profession and the Way Back (I have probably received more thanks from people who have read this book than any other I have recommended; it's a must-read for anyone wishing to incorporate psychology or neuroscience into their work)
• When Can You Trust the Experts: How to Tell Good Science from Bad in Education (not just for educators; very helpful for mediators with the goal of being savvy consumers of research)

Unhappy? Have unhappy clients? Iain McGilchrist may have some answers about why, what to do

Dr. Iain McGilchrist, author of the acclaimed The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World has written a new ebook, news that will make those who appreciated his last book very happy. Why an ebook? From Yale Books Blog:

Since the publication of The Master and His Emissary there has been an staggering amount of interest in a potential follow-up from McGilchrist, who is a former psychiatric consultant and has taught English at Oxford. However, as McGilchrist’s bestselling book drew on more than twenty years of research, a new full-length book would be a significant undertaking. Instead, to coincide with the new paperback edition of The Master and His Emissary, Yale invited Iain to write one of the first in a new series of short, lively e-books by some of our most popular authors, in which he draws on his research into the role of the right and left hemispheres to address the crucial question: just why are modern Westerners so unhappy?

Click to buy the ebook The Divided Brain and the Search for Meaning for just $1.50. Click to read an earlier post about Dr. McGilchrist: Are you involved in half-brained mediations? Let's promote full-brained conflict resolution.

Another instance of liberty being taken with brain science: Another reminder to read with caution

Oh, boy! If these bloggers are to be believed (and I have no reason to doubt what they have written), the strange and inaccurate way that neuroscience was portrayed in the new book by Naomi Wolf seems to have topped anything seen in the last few months. In fact, it sounds like it could be used as a book-length routine for a standup comic.

Why am I mentioning this book, one that appears to be high in wackiness? As a reminder to all of us that just because something is in print, even if it's written by an author with name recognition, does not mean you should necessarily believe it sails even close to the shore of neuroscience credibility.

From "Feminist Dopamine, Conscious Vaginas, and the Goddess Array" (The Neurocritic):

This unlikely combination of pseudoscientific and mystical elements provides a little something for everyone to hate. Among neuroscientists, howlers such as "dopamine is the ultimate feminist chemical in the female brain", oxytocin "is women's emotional superpower" and the vagina is "not only coextensive with the female brain but also is part of the female soul" have been making the rounds of social media.

I almost feel sorry for Ms. Wolf because it's like shooting fish in a barrel. Dopamine is not a feminist neurotransmitter, unless snails and insects have been secretly reading Betty Friedan and listening to Bikini Kill.

Click to read the rest.

From "Naomi Wolf's "Vagina" is full of bad science about the brain" (NewStatesman):

Naomi Wolf has a new book out. Here’s an extract. It’s proven controversial. I’m not going to discuss Wolf’s politics, nor will I mention the famous "pasta incident" as I don’t think I can write anything sensible about that event. I am however a neuroscientist, and for a book about the vagina, Wolf seems to mention the brain a lot.

So let’s see how brainy it is.

The writer then details some of the problems with what Wolf has written. Click to read the rest.

Puzzling that Wolf would write something so careless about brain science.

A brain resource for you

From Dana Foundation The Dana Sourcebook of Brain Science: Resources for Secondary and Post-Secondary Teachers and Students. Table of Contents:

Scientific Lives    4

Revealing the Workings, the Wonder, of the Human Brain    6

Genes and the Brain    18

Stem Cells and Brain Research    23

Advances in Brain Research    25

Behind the Scenes in the Adolescent Brain    26

Neuroethics Weighs the Benefits or Potential Misuses of Brain Research    27

Neuroimmunology: Harnessing the Power of the Brain and the Immune System    28

Defining Stroke or Brain Attack    29

What Exactly Are Antidepressants?    31

The Developing Nervous System: Vision    32

The Science of Attracting Axons—The Final Key to Spinal Cord Regeneration?    33

Allostatic Load Scenario 4:

Too Little Is as Bad as Too Much    34

Research and Future Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease    35

The Workings of Memory    36

The Power of Emotions    37

Use It or Lose It    39

Imagine a World    40

Suggested Activities    49

The Great Brain Books    68

Great Literary Portrayals of Brain Disorders    85

Tracing Shakespeare’s Insights Through Modern Brain Science    99

A Note on Sources of Information on the Brain    109

A Glossary of Key Brain Science Terms    124

Maps of the Brain    134

Resources on the Web    140

Acknowledgments    150

Index    151

Can a person be addicted to indignation? Self-righteousness? If so, can you mediate with the addict?

One of the books I recently read that got me thinking and thinking (and thinking) is Pathological Altruism. Two chapters particularly grabbed my attention and thought: "Self-Addiction and Self-Righteousness" by David Brin, and "Pathological Certitude" by Robert A. Burton*. As I watch Twitter, Facebook, and the media, I have, since reading these chapters, thought everyday about the good feelings associated with certitude.

Can we unswervingly hold to our point of view not so much because of the truth of our position but because we are addicted to the feeling of indignation or self-righteousness? Brin thinks that kind of addiction is possible.

I wonder: Is it possible to mediate when addiction to indignation is present in one or more of the parties?

What does Brin mean by addiction to indignation or self-righteousness? From the introduction to his chapter:

• If a mental state causes pleasurable reinforcement, there will be a tendency to return to it. Meditation, adoration, gambling, rage, and indignation might all, at times, be "mental addictions."
• Self-righteousness and indignation may sometimes be as much about chemical need as valid concerns about unfair actions. Among other outcomes, this may cause "pathologically altruistic" behavior.

Now, let me ask a couple of questions . . .

As you look back, can you think of just one or two parties to disputes in which you have been involved that seemed to crave indignation? Have you ever been indignant at least partly because it felt so good? Perhaps we all have succumbed to that feeling? Have you ever connected the notion of addiction with indignation?

Brin elaborates at his Web site in an article which is very similar to his chapter in Pathological Altruism:

 

Excellent books I have been reading on the brain, storytelling, conflict, and more

This month, I traveled to California because of a serious health matter of a close family member. One of the benefits of the trip was much time to read. I could not get online except when at Starbuck's so had more than the typical amount of time with nothing distracting or calling to me besides books!

In fact, I have been reading so many good books that I wanted to list them in case some of you may enjoy an item or two from my recently-read list. Here they are (I have included a couple from earlier this year, too):

• Philosophy for Life
• Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence [Note added October 22, 2012: Unfortunately most of the citations in this book are to articles from the popular media and not to the original research]
• Pathological Altruism
• Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose
• Reframing
• When Can You Trust the Experts?: How to Tell Good Science from Bad in Education
• The Five Percent: Finding Solutions to Seemingly Impossible Conflicts
• The Antidote
• The Story Template
• Psychobabble and Biobunk
• What Are You Laughing At?: A Comprehensive Guide to the Comedic Event
• Pieces of Light
• How To Play the Harmonica: and Other Life Lessons Click to watch my dad playing the harmonica
• Our Secret Territory: The Essence of Storytelling
• Conflicts : A Better Way to Resolve Them
• Maximum Brainpower: Challenging the Brain for Health and Wisdom
• Time Warped
• The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human

Let me know if you have read any of these and what you thought after the reading. What books have been getting your attention lately?

Pointing out a new book on the science of memory

I have only just begun to read Pieces of Light by Charles Fernyhough and am looking forward to finishing it this week while traveling. In the meanwhile, here's a review from The Observer. From "Pieces of Light: The New Science of Memory by Charles Fernyhough – review":

In his new book on memory, psychologist and novelist Charles Fernyhough provides an outstanding overview of how this dynamic understanding can be applied to many different facets of memory. He travels to Sydney to find locations he wrote about in his first novel, The Auctioneer, and shows how his subsequent imaginings of these places have irrevocably overwhelmed what he actually saw. He also uses landscapes to bring memories and people back to life, re-enacting walks he took with his late father, and movingly describing the ways that we keep the dead alive, for ourselves and for those around us, by telling our memories, our stories. He shows how we use memories to connect ourselves to the past but also to tell stories to make the past what we want it to be.

Fernyhough's skills as a writer are evident both in the beautiful prose and in the way he uses literature to illustrate his argument. As he points out, since memories are the stories we tell, we can learn much about memory from the words of writers. He draws on both science and art to marvellous effect in his exploration of why early memories are so often filled with sunlight. ...

Click to read the rest.

Attention choreography: It's not just for mediation anymore—Conjuring conflict resolution

As those of you who have attended my programs in the last several years know, we explore in depth the concept and process of attention choreography. So it was fun to listen to an interview (Token Skeptic) of a magician this weekend and hear him use the phrase "attention choreography."

Anthony Barnhart, the interviewee, is an unusual magician in that he is finishing up his doctorate in cognitive psychology, and will be teaching an undergrad course this fall on the psychology of magic. (I have blogged about him before: Good magicians are masters at attention choreography: So are good mediators.) In case you are wondering why I think magic is an appropriate topic for a blog focused on the neuroscience of conflict resolution, listening to this interview of Tony will help to explain.

He will tell you that our senses are easily deceived and fallible, we can miss seeing what is right in front of our eyes, and expectations can greatly influence what we observe. Those phenomena can be very helpful to magicians but, on the other hand, can obstruct the resolution of conflict. If we can understand how magicians deftly fool us, we may be able to watch, maybe even reduce, the ways we—and our clients—are fooled.

In a nutshell, I think that conflict professionals can learn much about what happens in a dispute by learning about magic. As Tony explains, psychologists and neuroscientists have long recognized the knowledge skilled magicians have about how our minds and brains, and have been trying to mine that knowledge. So maybe it's time for mediators to look to magic, too?

There's much to get you thinking in Tony's interview. He looks at such questions as the relationship between intelligence and ease of being deceived, and why humor can play an important role in a magician's trick. Before you listen, make sure you have a deck of cards. Tony will demonstrate a trick with your deck.

To learn more about magic, read Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals about Our Everyday Deceptions, a book by two neuroscientists. You will run into Tony in the book, too!

Note: Click for previous posts about magic.

Mediators: Another pseudo-science, brain baloney, neuro-nonsense alert

One of the gifts of online life is Google Alerts. Today this article about pseudoscience arrived in my inbox, and it reminded me once again about the high level of discernment needed today by anyone who plans to use neuroscience in their work or personal life.

Just because a speaker, writer or trainer incorporates neuroscience in what he or she presents doesn't guarantee accuracy about the science or, even if accurate, that the science can be applied in the way being asserted.

In an article from Akron Beacon Journal Online about the field of education, we learn of some pseudoscience which can remind us to sharpen our filters for the brain science being put forth to and by people in conflict management. From "Teachers learn ways to keep students’ attention, but are brain claims valid?":

[T]he techniques [described in the article] are not validated by contemporary brain research, according to two experts in the relationship between neuroscience and education who reviewed the claims for the Akron Beacon Journal.

“Nothing I see here indicates that there is any neuroscientific backing for anything they’re suggesting,” said Dan Willingham, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Virginia.

The Beacon Journal also asked David Daniel, managing editor of the peer-reviewed science journal Mind, Brain and Education to examine the research page at www.wholebrainteaching.com.

“I think he has these ideas that may or may not work, and he’s using brain stuff to market them,” said Daniel, a psychology professor at James Madison University. “The brain stuff on the web page is very cursory, very shallow. That could be just his way of communicating or it could be his level of understanding. Either way, it’s misleading.”

Willingham has a book coming out this month to help educators evaluate claims made about science and teaching. I look forward to the book because I am guessing it will be helpful to mediators, too. Given the silliness we sometimes see about how the brain science supposedly applies to conflict resolution, how are you keeping your neuroscience filter sharp?

Note: Annie Murphy Paul also blogged about this article at her The Brilliant Blog.