what is growth?
TRANSCRIPT
What Is Growth?
Understanding Growth Dynamics
-The Brain
-Beliefs and Misconceptions
-The Key to Human Growth
-Some Tools
-Brain Biases to Work With (Not Against)
-Recipes for Success
Agenda
- “Un-schooled”, Greek, juggling
- College: abstract math
- Equations for emotions
- Became math tutor/teacher
- Knee surgery
- Positive Psychology
David Wolovsky
Name
What brought you here?
A Little About You
A Little Anatomy
The Brain
●100 billion neurons
●Average of 1000
connections each
●Always reaching
●Complex networks,
constantly updatingSource: Quasar Jarosz at en.wikipedia
The Brain’s Purpose
-According to neuroscientist Karl Friston, the function of the brain is to minimize surprise in the future (especially negative surprise).
-The brain changes (grows) most from new and surprising experiences (up to a point).
ComplexNetworks
Complex = Having many interconnected parts
ComplexNetworks
Growth = The processof becoming more complex (to fit the environment)
Take A Minute
●Take 3 deep breaths, close your eyes
●Contemplate the fact that you are always changing
Take A Minute
●Take 3 deep breaths, close your eyes
●Contemplate the fact that you are always changing
●What would it be like to contemplate this every morning?
Mindsets
Fixed Mindset: Belief that I am fixed, that I have a
certain amount of talent/intelligence, and
everything I do shows how smart I am.
Growth Mindset: The belief that I am always
changing, and I grow from new challenges.
Mindsets
-Fixed: Everything I do measures my ability. If I
succeed, it’s because I’m good. If I fail, it’s
because I’m bad.
-Growth: Everything I do increases my ability.
Success and failure are equally valuable, I grow
from both, as long as I put in effort.
Mindsets
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTXrV0_3
UjY
Mindsets
Another way to think about mindsets.
Negative surprises make us:
Fixed Overwhelmed, seek safety
Growth Excited, seek new strategy, try again
Are Humans Machines?
- Our culture tends to treat human functioning as
similar to machine functioning. I.e. We should work
when it’s “work time,” rather than when we are
energized.
- We emphasize performance over growth.
Humans Vs. Machines: EfficacyMachine Performing a function
Human practicing a skill
Eff
icac
y
# of Times Performed # of Times Performed
Eff
icac
y
MotivationMachine Performing a function
Human practicing a skill
Des
ire
to k
eep
pra
ctic
ing
# of Times Performed in 48 hrs # of Times Performed in 48 hrs
Des
ire
to k
eep
pra
ctic
ing
Humans Vs. Machines
- Machines don’t get anxious or bored
- Machines break over time; humans get stronger*
- Human emotions: positive ones increase energy,
negative ones drain energy
- Humans learn from other humans (role models)
Back To Growth
Misconception About GrowthHow we think we should feel How we actually feel
Misconception About GrowthHow we think we should feel How we actually feel
The Key: Don’t Get StuckThe brain doesn’t anticipate change over time well.
Feeling strong: “This is how it’s gonna be from now on!”
Feeling weak: “I’m never gonna get what I want.”
The Key: Don’t Get Stuck
We need tools:
The Key: Don’t Get Stuck
We need tools:
- Keep in mind that we’re on a spiral:
Strong Weak Strong, cycles
The Key: Don’t Get Stuck
We need tools:
- Keep in mind that we’re on a spiral:
Strong Weak Strong, cycles
- Use the Choice Map & Learner Mindset
- Understand and use brain biases
Our Stories
Our Stories
Stories are tools, simplifications of reality and
experience.
They explain the past, but more importantly they
motivate our future actions.
Pick Your Stories
Keep the ones that help you grow.
Trash the ones that stop you from growing.
Pick Your StoriesStories that stop us from growing:
- I’ve always been bad at __________
- I’ll never understand __________
- I’m so [stupid, fat, ugly, boring, shy, lazy, etc.]
- They’re so [insert judgment here]
- It’s my fault. / It’s __________’s fault.
Pick Your StoriesStories that help us grow:
- I’m always learning. I’m on a spiral.
- I grow from effort.
- I can always try again.
- Focus now, trust in the future.
- Life is an experiment. Trial and error, baby!
More To The Story
Meet Your Mind Chatter
Self-observation is crucial.
Mindfulness = Non-judgmental observation of the
mind and body in the present moment.
Meet Your Mind Chatter
Self-observation is crucial.
Mindfulness = Non-judgmental observation of the
mind and body in the present moment.
Try it for 1 minute?
Say Hi To Your Software
Love Your Brain Biases!
Biases
1.Negativity Bias: Negative > Positive
2.Ambiguity intolerance: Automatic judgments
3.Clear image bias: No such thing as “Not”
4.Peak-end memories
5.“Now is always” fallacy
1. Negativity Bias
- Negativity Bias: We pay more attention to
negative information and events than to equal
positive ones.
- Our ancestors lived with few but big negative
surprises, we live with many small ones.
Negativity Bias: How We FeelJoy
Pain
GainsLosses
Extreme
Moderate
SomeSome
1. Negativity BiasDrives two big impediments to growth:
1. Change has both positive and negative aspects.
Negative outweighs equal positive No change
2. Frequent evaluation Dissatisfaction
To Change, Or Not To Change
- Change has both positive and negative aspects.
Negative outweighs equal positive No change
To bring change, we need to magnify the good, shrink
the bad, or both.
Evaluation Frequency- With frequent evaluation, we’re likely to see 50%
above expectations, 50% below.
- The bad will feel worse than the good feels good.
Frequent evaluation Increased anxiety
Less effort Inhibited growth
1. Negativity BiasFrequent evaluation Increased anxiety
Less effort Inhibited growth
Option: Replace evaluation with curiosity.Curiosity = Questions - Attachment to specific answer
Curiosity requires effort!
2. Ambiguity Intolerance
Ambiguity intolerance: automatic judgments
- Judgment: not the same as problem solving
- Judgment Inaction Stagnation
- Curiosity Exploration Growth
3. Clear Image Bias
Images > Words (x1000?).
No such thing as “Not” or “Don’t” in images.
What image comes to mind when you say:
“Don’t eat burgers.”
3. Clear Image Bias
“Don’t eat burgers.”
- Keep in mind what you want, not what you don’t
want.
- “Approach Goals” versus “Avoidance goals”
- “Don’t fail” often leads to “Don’t try” because failure
pulls us into a Fixed Mindset:
effort + failure = danger and -effort + failure = safety
3. Clear Image Bias
4. Peak-End Memory
We decide whether to repeat experiences based
on our memories of how enjoyable they were.
We decide how enjoyable they were by averaging
our feeling at the peak and end of them.
4. Peak-End Memory
- We’ll be more likely to keep doing an activity
over a long period of time (e.g. practicing a skill)
if we habitually leave ourselves wanting more.
- End practice while you’re still having fun.
5. Now Is Always
-We are highly unskilled at predicting our future
emotional states.
- In good moods, we predict the future will be
mostly good.
- In bad moods, we predict the future will be
mostly bad.
5. Now Is Always
- Change your mood, change your outlook on the
future.
- What puts you in a good mood?
Take a minute to write down a few options
Recipes for Success
-Practice mindfulness. It only takes a minute!
-Reduce evaluation, replace with curiosity.
-Spotlight what’s going well. Celebrate & savor.
-Think of images you want, not ones you don’t want.
-Leave yourself wanting more. Don’t cram practice.
Recipes for Success
- Use tools: Choice Map, Spiral, etc.
- Remember that feelings of strength and weakness
follow and lead to each other. We need both to grow.
- Teach and model the Growth Mindset for those you
influence.
Recipes for Success
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45mMioJ5szc
Recipes for Success
-Just pick one or two of these ideas to work on.
It’s enough for now.
-Give yourself and others permission to be human:
permission to feel and need what humans feel and
need.
Thank you for coming!
Stay human!