The psychology of film & TV, media, & work

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‘big picture’ people are more powerful

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Individuals who use abstract or ‘big picture’ communication are perceived as more powerful. Take a scenario where an individual is able to untangle a complex issue—possibly by oversimplifying—by summing it up in one catch-all statement. This person may be perceived as more powerful than an individual who gets caught up in the details.

For example, in one study, participants read quotes from political leaders. When the quotes were abstract, participants perceived the politician as ‘a leader’, powerful and amiable compared to the politicians who were paired with more detailed and specific quotes.

So, when communicating, you may have more impact if you summarise issues into high level concepts rather than trying to convince people with all the facts and figures. Take some of the most memorable speeches. Do you think they deal with concepts (‘I have a dream’) or details (‘I have been doing some planning and thinking about the future’)?

Lightbulbs can literally improve insight

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Over a series of studies, people were significantly more likely to solve a problem requiring insight when working next to an illuminated lightbulb.  
This finding aligns with extensive research that shows that simple images or objects in our environment can subtly prime our behaviour.  

It is believed these images unlock memories and experiences, sometimes unconsciously, and these memories influence the way we behave.   Are there any examples you can think of in our workplace where a subtle image or object may be influencing the way we behave?

Need for clos_

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You are more likely to trust close family, friends and co-workers if you have a strong need for closure. Distrust creates uncertainty and ambiguity, which creates a certain tension that people attempt to resolve.

Individuals who are especially averse to uncertainty—a strong need for closure—are quick to trust people personally close to them, even if there is no good reason to do so. People with a lower need for closure—an acceptance of uncertainty and ambiguity—are not as affected.

Why does being close to someone matter? Researchers argue that when under duress we have a stronger affiliation with people similar to ourselves and tend to distance ourselves from people who are different from us. So, we feel better to restore that trust with those close to us and to confirm our distrust of those who are not close to us. Perhaps uncertainty can lead some of us to become more attached to colleagues with we work closely with and drive us apart from other co-workers?

See http://tinyurl.com/mz9ajhr

rewards are unrewarding

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Reward and punishment can actually decrease motivation and promote the wrong behaviour.For example, when managers offer large bonuses to employees for bringing in sales, they became so focused on that goal that they forget to make sure they achieve this through moral means (see this research).

In contrast to reward and punishment, intrinsic motivation occurs when the individual finds a task or activity inherently satisfying and meaningful. One way to encourage intrinsic motivation is to promote autonomy and choice.

Can anyone else think of a time they found a task inherently satisfying? What do you think triggered this?

creative people are more honest

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Did you buy that? Because, research suggests quite the opposite. When individuals were asked to be more creative, they were subsequently better at lying and covering up these lies. These effects were especially more pronounced when these individuals were more creative in general. That is, they were creative even when not being prompted to do so.

The researchers argue that creative people are better (or more creative) at justifying their dishonest behaviour. Are businesses willing to tolerate some dishonesty for creative ideas?

the closer you get the more I dislike you

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What if simply moving toward someone was enough to make them dislike you? A recent study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology showed that people and objects that move towards us are generally perceived more negatively than things that move away from us.

It is argued that we have evolved to be instinctively cautious about approaching animals and objects because they could be threatening. What impact does this have on our everyday workplace relationships when we approach people to help us?

you can’t remember? didn’t you clench your fist?

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Clenching your right fist can help you remember details. It is argued that by clenching this fist, activation increases in your left brain, which helps encode memory.

 

Interestingly, research has shown that activities on the left side of your body, such as clenching your left fist, activates the right hemisphere of your brain. For most people this is the area of the brain (specifically, the right prefrontal cortex) that processes holistic “big picture” information, which enhances creativity.

 

Interestingly, there is some research that also shows left-handers are more creative but tend to have poorer memories.

October 11th, 2014

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When people take the time to slow down and listen to others and avoid interrupting and criticising them, they are perceived as more influential. Listening can be difficult because our brains are so fast at processing information that we can easily become bored and lose interest in what someone is saying.

However, given that your influence is measured more by how well you listen rather than how much you speak, there’s a good reason to slow down and listen.

can men multi-task?

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It’s a popular notion that men, in particular, are inferior when it comes to multi-tasking. However, research suggests no human can truly multi-task.

Research shows that when we think we are juggling more than one task at a time, we are actually just rapidly switching our attention from one task to another. So, whilst you are focusing on one task, the other one is not being processed by your brain.   What do you think? What implications does this have for our workplaces?

innovation stifles innovation

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Innovations and new ideas can generate enthusiasm and excitement. They can also challenge long standing ideas and ways of working. When this happens, according to research, individuals are outside their comfort zone and can close up and simply follow the status quo, which may stifle further efforts to innovate.

These reactions are normal. People need some stability in their jobs to feel secure. The challenge for innovative organisations is to push boundaries whilst maintaining security and stability. Can you think of a time an innovation or important change created an issue? 

trust your gut

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After deliberating over various options, decision-making is optimised if individuals distract themselves and relax for a few minutes. This distraction and relaxation helps activate the person’s intuition.

Many of us can think of times where something didn’t ‘feel right’ or where they trusted ‘their gut’. However, putting this into practice in workplaces may be perceived as risky. Intuition is invisible, can’t be documented and validated.

I’ve made an attempt to make this more tangible. In consultation with another psychologist, Dr Simon Moss, developed a decision-making tool that applies this science. If you are interested in knowing more or would like to help me test this tool, let me know

smiling instead of screaming sparks creativity

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We’ve all been in situations where we’ve had to control our reaction to avoid an awkward moment, such as uncontrollable laughter in a serious meeting. An interesting line of research suggests that we are more creative when our body contradicts our true feelings.

For example, when participants were made to frown whilst recalling a happy event, they were more creative on a subsequent task. Specifically, they were more flexible and expansive with their thinking. The curious effect is called ‘mind-body dissonance’.

Could this be applied to organisations that value innovation and creativity?

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