Post by anne12 on Nov 16, 2019 9:00:29 GMT
The power Paradox:
Power changes your Brain
"....Dacher Keltner, an author and social psychologist at University of California, Berkeley, has conducted empirical studies showing that people who have power suffer deficits in empathy, the ability to read emotions, and the ability to adapt behaviors to other people. In fact, power can actually change how the brain functions, according to research from Sukhvinder Obhi, a neuroscientist at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada."
Think of yourself in a powerful leadership position.
You might imagine that you would still be the same: still sense how others are doing, still be good at listening, still be empathetic and considerate. But you're probably wrong. You wouldn't be the same.
Recent research indicates that most people change as they gain power. Not in a few years, but simply right away - sensing the feeling of power.
Power inhibits the empathic centers of the brain, it makes us greedier, more blunt, more dominant, less listening, shows research in both social psychology and brain research. Some of the qualities may be helpful to some extent; prime ministers, business leaders, judges and educators sometimes have to cut through and let their will be law. But when you look at the many studies, they unequivocally point to the fact that it often combs over and that the change happens surprisingly easily.
When we feel powerful, we are inferior to reading facial expressions. We have a harder time seeing things from the perspective of others. We would rather speak than listen. We interrupt and dominate conversations. We talk to others and drive more rotten in traffic. We take more than what is reasonable.
......
So why did people like Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King apparently escaped these mechanisms and retained empathy rather than becoming powerful?
"The abuse of power is something we all recognize, it's the widespread mechanism," Keltner says.
“But the other side of the matter is that power reveals who we really are when we no longer subdue ourselves. The right people in the right contexts manage to retain the strong motivation that initially engaged them, shows new research. Perhaps there is a mechanism that even reinforces these positive traits and not just the selfish ones, although they dominate in the statistics. It is an important counterpoint to my research: Power can actually reveal disingenuous tendencies in good people. Unfortunately, there are just too few of these people seeking power - for example, in politics. It's a shame."
And fortunately, there are ways to dampen the stomping mechanisms, he believes. It simply requires leaders and other powerful people to want something different. Just being aware of what power does to us and actively counteracting it by not letting go can make a big difference.
Specifically, one should remind oneself daily of these five things, according to Keltner, which may sound familiar to some self-help:
Pay attention to what power does to you.
Practice humility.
Focus on others and be generous.
Respect others.
Work to help those who feel powerless.
According to Kentler, the good leader does these things - or at least some of them - in everyday life. Some will think it sounds legally soft. But it is not the quilting leader who takes no responsibility. Nor is it not about the leader who is sweet and nice on the surface, but uses hidden mechanisms of power, such as being passively aggressive or manipulating his employees to transcend their boundaries. The good leader is empathetic and listening while at the same time taking on the responsibility and leadership role. It is the leader who is respected and not just feared.
In some countries, there is a greater focus on equality than in the United States. This also has an impact on how individualistic people behave.
hbr.org/2016/10/dont-let-power-corrupt-you
m.youtube.com/watch?v=1FAFhwh9PeM
www.businessinsider.com/does-power-cause-brain-damage-2017-6?r=UK&IR=T
psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-23517-001
Power changes your Brain
"....Dacher Keltner, an author and social psychologist at University of California, Berkeley, has conducted empirical studies showing that people who have power suffer deficits in empathy, the ability to read emotions, and the ability to adapt behaviors to other people. In fact, power can actually change how the brain functions, according to research from Sukhvinder Obhi, a neuroscientist at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada."
Think of yourself in a powerful leadership position.
You might imagine that you would still be the same: still sense how others are doing, still be good at listening, still be empathetic and considerate. But you're probably wrong. You wouldn't be the same.
Recent research indicates that most people change as they gain power. Not in a few years, but simply right away - sensing the feeling of power.
Power inhibits the empathic centers of the brain, it makes us greedier, more blunt, more dominant, less listening, shows research in both social psychology and brain research. Some of the qualities may be helpful to some extent; prime ministers, business leaders, judges and educators sometimes have to cut through and let their will be law. But when you look at the many studies, they unequivocally point to the fact that it often combs over and that the change happens surprisingly easily.
When we feel powerful, we are inferior to reading facial expressions. We have a harder time seeing things from the perspective of others. We would rather speak than listen. We interrupt and dominate conversations. We talk to others and drive more rotten in traffic. We take more than what is reasonable.
......
So why did people like Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King apparently escaped these mechanisms and retained empathy rather than becoming powerful?
"The abuse of power is something we all recognize, it's the widespread mechanism," Keltner says.
“But the other side of the matter is that power reveals who we really are when we no longer subdue ourselves. The right people in the right contexts manage to retain the strong motivation that initially engaged them, shows new research. Perhaps there is a mechanism that even reinforces these positive traits and not just the selfish ones, although they dominate in the statistics. It is an important counterpoint to my research: Power can actually reveal disingenuous tendencies in good people. Unfortunately, there are just too few of these people seeking power - for example, in politics. It's a shame."
And fortunately, there are ways to dampen the stomping mechanisms, he believes. It simply requires leaders and other powerful people to want something different. Just being aware of what power does to us and actively counteracting it by not letting go can make a big difference.
Specifically, one should remind oneself daily of these five things, according to Keltner, which may sound familiar to some self-help:
Pay attention to what power does to you.
Practice humility.
Focus on others and be generous.
Respect others.
Work to help those who feel powerless.
According to Kentler, the good leader does these things - or at least some of them - in everyday life. Some will think it sounds legally soft. But it is not the quilting leader who takes no responsibility. Nor is it not about the leader who is sweet and nice on the surface, but uses hidden mechanisms of power, such as being passively aggressive or manipulating his employees to transcend their boundaries. The good leader is empathetic and listening while at the same time taking on the responsibility and leadership role. It is the leader who is respected and not just feared.
In some countries, there is a greater focus on equality than in the United States. This also has an impact on how individualistic people behave.
hbr.org/2016/10/dont-let-power-corrupt-you
m.youtube.com/watch?v=1FAFhwh9PeM
www.businessinsider.com/does-power-cause-brain-damage-2017-6?r=UK&IR=T
psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-23517-001
