‘Deeply social’ brains seek rewards in engagement.
Our brains are organised to seek reward and minimise danger, and levels of engagement are linked to these functions, said Christopher Samsa.
In his keynote address on neuroscience and positive psychology, Samsa, director of the NeuroLeadership Group (UK), outlined research on the threat (away or avoidance) and reward (towards or approach) systems.
The latter is linked to higher engagement, a solution focus, higher creativity, increased cognitive resources and a ‘global view’, whereas the threat state is linked to uncertainty, a danger focus and tunnel vision, said Samsa.
Samsa talked about how our brains are “deeply social”, outlining how the SCARF model developed by David Rock of the NeuroLeadership Group works with approach and avoidance states.
SCARF is Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness. He said our status is related to how we perceive ourselves in relation to others (Status); that the “brain is a prediction machine, (and) uncertainty arouses the limbic system” (Certainty); that “our brain likes to predict and have a say in the future; a feeling of having choice dramatically impacts stress levels” (Autonomy); that we think in terms of “friend or foe…
foe is the default” (Relatedness), and that our reward system is activated when we perceive we have been treated fairly (Fairness).
The SCARF model can be used to work on: perception, cognition, memory, immune function, collaboration and facilitating change, he said.
On the deeply social brain, Samsa said, “Our worst and best moments are social”; “collective intelligence is more social than IQ”; “that if we want to live longer, we should get some friends”.
Elsewhere at the conference, Liz Hall talked about how practising mindfulness helps us move into a towards (approach) state (see page 10).
Coaching at Work, Volume 7 , Issue 5