← Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning
Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning
Fun, Fear & Focus: Neuroscience Hacks for Peak Performance with Friederike Fabritius
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Welcome Back to season 14 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast where we connect the science based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well being, achievement, productivity and results using what I saw as the missing link since we weren't taught this when we were growing up in school, the Application Practical Neuroscience I'm Andrea Samadhi and seven years ago launched this podcast with a question that I've never truly asked myself before and that is if productivity and results matter to us, and they do now more than ever, how exactly are we using our brain to make them happen? And most of us were never taught how to apply neuroscience to improve productivity, our results or our well being.
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About a decade ago I became fascinated.
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By the Mind brain results connection and how science can be applied to our everyday lives. And that's why I've made it my mission to bring you the world's top experts so together we can explore the intersection of science and social and emotional learning. We'll break down complex ideas and turn them into practical strategies we can use for predictable science backed results.
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And as we kick off season 14.
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I've been revisiting past episodes and reflecting on the incredible insights that our guests shared since we first launched in 2019.
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So as we dive into this review of our past conversations, know that this review isn't just for you, it's for me as well. I've learned that slowing down helps us to uncover even more wisdom and I'm excited for us to walk this path together.
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For today's episode, we continue our journey into our mind with the next interview review. And just a reminder, this review series began back with episode 366 where in part three we we discovered an important lesson. If we don't like our results or.
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What we see on the outside, we.
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Need to shift our mindset and look within. True change always begins on the inside.
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Then we moved on to episode 369 where we learned how to rewire our brain with Dr. Dawson Church and his Bliss Brain Meditations. And then on to episode 370 with John Medina's brain rules where we reviewed how important this understanding of neuroscience is especially connected to education, teaching and learning. Next we went deeper into our mind and Brain with episode 371 and 72 with clinical professor of Psychiatry from UCLA school of medicine Dr. Daniel J. Siegel and his mindsight concept, which is the same idea as theory of mind or or seeing the mind in another. All of these episodes are helping us to further sharpen our minds and brains and connect better with others for improved productivity and success in our work and personal lives.
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For Today's episode number 373, we go back to episode 27 recorded in October of 2019 with Pioneer and neuroleadership neuroscientist Fredrika Fabricius from Germany. On this episode we covered her book the Leading Neuroscience Hacks to Work Smarter, Better and Happier.
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Fredrika returned again to the podcast for.
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Episode 258 recorded in November of 2022, advancing our conversation with her next book, the Brain Friendly Workplace. Both of these interviews come covered important tips that I think we should all take into consideration to be happier and therefore more productive at work. Going along with our theme that if we don't like what's going on outside of ourselves, let's dive deeper into understanding how our brain and minds work.
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Which brings us back to Frederica Fabbreaches and just a reminder of her background. She's a neuroscientist and pioneer in the field of neuroleadership. She's trained at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research and is an Alumni of McKinsey & Company. Helping organizations to Create Change Frederica delivers brain based Leadership programs to Fortune 500 executives and organizations around the globe to transform how they think, innovate and navigate change. And I was drawn to Frederica because I'm always looking for productivity tips that we can all use. And it's clear that stress in our workplaces is at an all time high. Globally we know that 2/3 of people report being stressed at work to the point they can't sleep at night. And in our first clip Frederica reports that only 20% of people feel passionate about their jobs and that 40% of people never experience flow in their jobs or peak performance. And I think there has to be another way to find balance here. So let's listen to Frederica's clip on why fun, fear and focus matter for flow and peak performance.
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You know only 20% of people feel passionate about their jobs. That's insane. And 40% of people never experience flow in their jobs. And I think it could be so simple that everybody can be happy at their jobs and all you need are three simple things and I like to call them fun, fear and focus. And it has to do with a certain mix of neurochemicals into your brain. So when we're having fun at work, I'm not thinking about the after work party kind of fun where you have fun after the work finally is done. I'm thinking about having fun related to the task at hand. And when we're having fun. Our brain releases a neurochemical called dopamine. And dopamine is a real brain booster. It makes you think faster, it makes you learn faster. It helps you to do everything a bit speedier and better. It makes us more creative, you know, how can you have more fun at work? I think it's really important that you choose the kind of work that's in line with your talents. Because let's say if I was to work as a computer programmer, I would probably have zero fun because I have no talent, right? And I would do all the jobs that my smart colleagues are doing in two seconds. It would take me two hours and I would be frustrated. So find something that is strength based. If we follow our strength and our passion, the likelihood of releasing dopamine will really increase. And the second thing we need is fear. And when I speak of fear, I'm not thinking about having an awful boss. You know, that gives you negative feedback and that gives you such a hard time that you can't even see sleep anymore at night. I'm thinking about being what I like to call slightly over challenged. Because when we're slightly over challenged, our brain releases noradrenaline.
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Some key points from our video clip. Number one, Frederica reminded us that only 20% of people feel passionate about their jobs. She reported that 40% never experience flow or that deep state of concentration where time disappears and performance peaks. Frederica suggests that reaching flow at work requires three key ingredients. The first ingredient she suggests is to have fun. When this happens, dopamine from the brain release boosts creativity, speed, and sharper thinking. And she reminds us, not the after work kind of fun, but the enjoyment in the task itself. So I ask you to think. Do you enjoy your daily tasks at work? If yes, keep going. And if no, then you've got some thinking to do. The second ingredient, she said, is fear. And with fear, there's a sense of challenge or pressure, like deadlines or high stakes that keep you from slipping into apathy. You want to find the right balance for you, remembering that some people perform better with a sense of threat, while others don't do as well. So think about this. If you look at the stress versus performance curve, what side of the chart do you perform best with? Do you prefer less stress at work or more? To keep you motivated and be sure you have strategies to either stay motivated or to help mitigate your stress. The third ingredient, she says, is focus and have time in your day for the concentration that directs your energy where it matters, the Most allowing you to reach peak performance in your day. Think about this. How do you block off time in your day to accomplish the work that requires your most intense focus? Another important concept that goes along with creating flow in our work lives with fun, fear and focus is understanding the stress versus performance curve. And you can see an image in the show notes on on the left side of the graph, think about a person who has a low stress job. The job is easy for them, they have low stress, not much challenge in their day, and it's not very exciting, which can lead to apathy without an understanding of how to reach peak performance for that person. So if the job is too easy, without any threat or challenge or fear, the person working in this job environment on the left side of the graph will be under challenged and they'll join the 40% of the population who don't reach flow in their workday. And on the other side of the coin, look at the right side of the graph where a person's job is on the higher end of the stress scale. Think of someone whose workday is filled with putting out fires minute after minute until they reach the end of the.
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Day and they're exhausted.
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This is high stress here and lots of pressure. Think about extreme sports, investment bankers, consultants, or those who are always running behind without an end to their daily tasks. Instead of feeling apathy like the person on the left side of the graph, this person feels anxiety that can lead to depression or burnout. And we all need to find the optimal stress point so that our work challenges us in the right amount, leading us to that place of optimal workplace happiness where we can be a part of the 40% of the population who experience that state of flow or peak performance. Some practical tips for why fun, fear and focus matter. For flow and peak performance, there's the low stress left side of the chart, which can lead to apathy. Tasks are too easy, they're repetitive, they're uninspiring. And boredom can set in without fun, fear and focus and you won't reach that flow state. So some tips for people working in job environments like this. Be sure to tie your job task to your personal why and create deadlines to generate some sort of challenge. Then on the right side of the chart, there's that high stress work environment where there's overload, constant firefighting and no room to breathe that leads to burnout and exhaustion. Some tips here. Find ways to manage stress like recovery breaks, clear priorities and mindfulness so pressure fuels but doesn't drain you.
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Then you want to Reach that optimal stress level, that flow or peak performance. This is the sweet spot where challenge meets skill. And with the right amount of fun.
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Fear, and focus, you'll engage deeply and.
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Perform at your best. So think about this.
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Do you prefer a low stress work.
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Environment or high stress?
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Whatever you choose, be sure that you understand the best way for you to.
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Reach peak performance and prevent apathy or boredom on the left side of the chart or burnout and anxiety and depression on the right side. I know I'm personally happiest working on the right side of the graph where stress can be high, not too, too much stress.
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But I'm always looking for new and.
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Healthy ways to manage that daily stress in my life as well as those close to me.
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And so far, the strategy that has the most profound impact on my ability to bounce back after high stress days would be exercise and daily meditation. So moving on to our second clip where Frederica talks about how men and women's brains react differently to stress.
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Men and women react differently to stress and to different situations. And I think this is one of the reasons why there's so few women in leadership positions. It's because the stress point that men have, combining testosterone and dopamine, might be quite different from that of a woman who combines in her brain, you know, dopamine activity with estrogen activity. And so people need different work environments to perform at the best. So I'm always against coaching people and changing people. I think it's just a waste of time and energy. You should be thinking, okay, what does this specific person need in order to reach peak performance? And then you need to create and craft an environment that matches this person. Rather than trying to mold the person.
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To the job, you should try to.
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Mold the job to the person.
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And some key points from this clip. Number two, in her work, Frederica points out that men and women often respond differently to stress because of how neurochemistic chemicals interact with men. They usually have testosterone with dopamine, and women usually have estrogen with dopamine. And this difference can influence how each person reaches peak performance. So some practical tips for rethinking leadership and workplace design. Frederica suggests instead of trying to fix people through coaching or molding them to fit a job, she argues, we should identify each person's neural signature. That's their unique mix, mix of brain chemistry and stress response, and then shape the work environment to match the person, not the other way around. And this is at the heart of her book, the Brain Friendly Workplace, where she challenges organizations to rethink success not as conformity, but as creating conditions where every brain type can thrive. Now as we wrap up episode 373.
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In our review of episode 27 with.
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Fredrika Fabricis, we covered video clip number one, why fun, fear and focus matter for flow and peak performance.
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We talked about the stress versus performance curve with low stress on the left side that can lead to apathy. Tasks are too easy, repetitive and uninspiring and boredom can set in without fun fact.
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If you're in focus, you won't reach.
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Those flow states and a tip to tie your job to your personal why and create deadlines to generate challenge.
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Then on the other side of the.
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Chart we've got those high stress jobs that can lead to anxiety. You've got overload, constant firefighting and no room to breathe that leads to burnout and exhaustion. A tip here Find ways to manage stress recovery breaks, clear priorities and mindfulness so pressure fuels and doesn't drain you. And that leads us to that optimal.
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Stress part, the middle part of the.
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Chart where we reach flow and peak performance. The sweet spot where challenge meets skill and with the right mix of fun, fear and focus, you engage deeply and perform at your best.
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Then to review key points from video clip two different brains have different stress points. Men with testosterone and dopamine and women with estrogen and dopamine. And these differences can influence how each person reaches peak performance. And it may also help explain why fewer women end up in leadership roles, because many workplaces are designed around stress points that better fit that testosterone signature brain. However, women can also have a testosterone neurosignature brain and end up in those positions of leadership. I do encourage you to watch our second interview so you can identify your own neurosignature.
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Some practical tips for Rethinking Leadership in Workplace Design Fredrika suggests instead of trying to fix people through coaching and molding them to fit a job, she argues that we should identify each person's neurosignature, that unique mix of brain chemistry and stress response. Then shape the work environment to match the person, not the other way around. And know the best self care for you based on your neurosignature.
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And this is at the heart of.
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Her book the Brain Friendly Workplace, where she challenges organizations to rethink success not as conformity, but as creating conditions where every brain type can thrive.
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In chapter one of her book, the Brain Friendly Workplace, she explains that it's all about our brains and that there's four powerful chemicals that shape your personality. The neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, estrogen and testosterone. And together they form four distinct systems that stimulate specific areas of your brain. And these are your dopamine, serotonin, estrogen for the dopamine signature. People high in dopamine are curious, energetic and future oriented. Think of inventors and entrepreneurs. They tend to have this neurosignature. They get bored easily and are always looking for the next exciting great project. Then there's the serotonin signature. People high in serotonin are reliable, detail.
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Oriented, cautious and loyal.
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They thrive on routine and structure and enjoy consistency and stability. Then there's the testosterone signature that we talked about. People high in testosterone are tough minded, direct and enjoy wielding power. They tend to be analytical and use systems thinking which involves moving logically from one step to the next to solve a problem. Then we've got the estrogen signature. People high in estrogen are empathetic and good at building personal connections and community. Estrogen increases serotonin of the cuddle hormone oxytocin, which enhances feelings of bonding and trust. Think of Steve Wozniak, Apple's co founder. He exhibits the traits of a high estrogen neurosignature. And he's also a lateral thinker which involves prioritizing intuition and insight, making connections that others might miss. And this is all from chapter one of her book, the Brain Friendly Workplace. And if you resonated with one of the qualities of the neurosignatures, I added some tips from Frederica's blog for how to manage your stress based on each neurosignature.
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If you're a high estrogen NeuroSignature, have.
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That one close friend who you can.
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Call anytime, who's always there for you. Also, be aware of not overloading yourself too much so you can manage your stress. If you're the high testosterone neurosignature, make sure you have the freedom to do what you want to do and you're holding on to your autonomy to prevent burnout. To relieve stress, do something adventurous and challenging. If you're in a high dopamine neurosignature, I think this is is me. Make sure to not get bored. Try new activities or hobbies to engross yourself in. And if you're a high serotonin neurosignature, plan it out and create a routine. By setting a plan and sticking to it like every morning, you'll feel less stressed. By understanding your own unique neurosignature, you can refine your life both in and out of the Office for Success. I hope you found this review helpful for pinpointing the best work environment for your brain to reach peak performance, and we'll see you in two weeks for part two of this review. See you on October 12th.
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If you're enjoying the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, please don't forget to subscribe so you'll stay up to date with our new episodes. While you're there, please feel free to give us a review or a five star rating as it helps others find us. For more information on our programs, books and tools for schools and the workplace, Visit us at www. AchieveIt360.com.