Posts Tagged ‘personality traits’
Research Implications for Listening
This post is going to abstract some of the very intriguing current research that may have implications for listening:
Music Makes Us Happy:
Results indicate that intense pleasure in response to music can lead to dopamine release in the striatal system. Notably, the anticipation of an abstract reward can result in dopamine release in an anatomical pathway distinct from that associated with the peak pleasure itself.
Nature Neuroscience (2011) doi:10.1038/nn.2726
Received 07 October 2010 Accepted 25 November 2010 Published online 09 January 2011
Implications for listening:
This research demonstrates that music makes people happy. When we are happy we tend to be open and responsive. Listening depends upon an open brain and attitude. So, if you feel your attention waning, try music to re-engage your mind and spirit.
Third Order Listening:
In his book The Management Myth, Matthew Stewart describes the listening style of one quite brilliant consultant as follows:
He does not focus on what you are saying. Rather, he tries to figure out what you want to get by saying it. And then he tries to figure out why you think you want what you want. And then he tries to figure out what he can do about the things that make you think you want it.
How often do you try to figure out what the other person wants by paying attention to the words he uses and the number of times he repeats something?
The Listening Club:
The Listening Club, a burgeoning Harvard organization, is now seeking members at Harvard. Members will cultivate and hone vanguard listening skills in both subjective and objective contexts; form a vital resource body of listeners performing campus and broader community service; research listening in applied fields of study; and invite active collaboration with other Harvard entities to both liaise with the club and partner on special listening events and activities.
Harvard Gazette, Janaury 13, 2011
FYI, I’ve contacted the founder.
Brain Regions:
Theprefrontal cortex is this brain region where the juggling act occurs. This area is important in planning complex cognitive behaviors, personality expression, decision making and moderating correct social behavior.
Yet in order to accomplish tasks and make decisions–otherwise known as executive functions–the brain tends to filter out new generative impulses and stimuli that are deemed as incongruent or interfering with the focus of our attention.
Executive function is key to higher level analysis and critical thinking. It relates to abilities to differentiate among conflicting thoughts, determine good and bad, better and best, same and different, future consequences of current activities, working toward a defined goal, prediction of outcomes, expectation based on actions, and social “control” (the ability to suppress urges that, if not suppressed, could lead to socially-unacceptable outcomes).
From The Center for Graphic Illustration
Implications for Listening:
We have to be in control of our prefrontal cortex when we listen or be at its mercy.
More to Come. I enjoy sharing my learning with the listening community, and appreciate it when you chime in.
Habits and Traits Show up Everywhere, Including Blogs
Today I read some very interesting research results.
Basically, the researcher says that it is possible to tell personality traits from the words used when writing blogs. Following is the information, followed by my additional thoughts:
Posts about dancing, drinking and restaurants could hint you’re an extrovert
Newly released findings from Tal Yarkoni, a CU psychology and neuroscience postdoctoral fellow, also debunk the idea that people can maintain distinctly different offline and online personalities.
“Our personalities don’t dramatically change just because we’ve turned on our computers,” he said. The research was published in the Journal of Research in Personality
Top five words used by personality traits:
1. Neurotic (sensitive and nervous): “Awful,” “though [sic],” “lazy,” “worse” and “depressing.”
2. Extroverted (outgoing and energetic): “Bar,” “other,” “drinks,” “restaurant” and “dancing.”
3. Open (inventive and curious): “folk,” “humans,” “of,” “poet” and “art.”
4. Agreeable (friendly and compassionate): “wonderful,” “together,” “visiting,” “morning” and “spring.”
5. Conscientious (organized and efficient): “completed,” “adventure,” “stupid,” “boring” and “adventures.”
Source: University of Colorado
Read more:
CU-Boulder study: Word choice in blogs reveals personality traits – Boulder Daily Camera, http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_17060109#ixzz1AksZExXv; DailyCamera.com. By Brittany Anas Camera StaffWriter, Posted: 01/10/2011 08:04:29 PM MST
While I would never try to conduct the same kind of research for listening, I found Dr. Yarkoni’s thesis to validate our work on listening habits.
- We do have preferences
- Preferences become habits that we rely upon
- Language signals habit
- We tend to stick to habits even when the context changes
- We’re often clueless about our habits
- Learning how we come across can provide us with greater control over how we are perceived