Download pdf - The Brain for Entrepreneurs by Maya Elhalal Levavi

Oct 4, 2010 IDC Herzliya - Zell Program, Israel Maya Elhalal-Levavi MayaElhalal.com

The BrainFor Entrepreneurs

http://mayaelhalal.com



The Brain• How it works

• Why it can be a fickle friend to entrepreneurs

• How thoughts change its structure

• How to design yours to be your ultimate partner

• How to speak Brainish to clients and investors




Top GoalThe primary task of the brain is to keep you in an optimal state relative to the environment. In every response to stimuli and action generated, the #1 motivation is maximizing your chances of survival. In the process, it also generates experiences. They are highly subjective.

The Human Brain Book by Rita Carter




Pizza Brain

If you smoothed out all the wrinkles in the cortex, the brain would cover the area of a large pizza.




UltraConnectedThe brain has 100B neurons. That’s more potential connections than atoms in the universe.




Speed

Neurons transmit information at a speed of 1-100 meters/second




"God gave men a brain and a penis and only enough blood to run one at a time."

Robin Williams




Brain magic happens when millions of neurons collaborate. They communicate in impulses - brief ‘spike’ of electricity traveling through a neuron.

Like so...




Nerve Cell & Axons





Electrical Impulse





Impulse is Ion Wave





Polarization





Depolarization





Re-polarization





Communication Protocol

Our image of networks leads us to think they are, but neurons in a network are actually not in physical contact. They’re separated by incredibly thin gap.

To pass nerve impulses among themselves they use communications sites called Synapses.




Crossing the Gap





Opening Channels





Triggering the Target





Lizards to Humans

1. Reptilian Brain - balance and coordination

2. Mammalian Brain - automatic & 4F (that F too)

3. Neocortex - seat of awareness

To go to the top of the food chain, our brain evolved:




Emotional BrainEmotions are physiological responses designed to push us away from danger and toward reward.

Much of the time we are unaware of them. That doesn’t mean these emotions don’t effect our actions and decisions. They sure do. Subconsciously.

When emotions cross a certain intensity threshold we experience the electric storm as a conscious “feeling”.




“According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”

Jerry Seinfeld




Brain Panic Button The amygdala is our panic button. It“tastes” all stimuli and signals others area to produce appropriate emotional reactions. Like “fight or flight”. It kind of failed to adapt to modern life and may see a pitch to investors as a bear that’s chasing you. Often, it’s triggered at the most inappropriate timing. Like when you’re about to step out of your comfort zone and take a risk doing something new or bigger or better.




"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."

Marianne Williamson




Frontal Lobe is the seat of entrepreneurship.

It allows us to hold a thought like: “I’m going to observe a different outcome. And I’m going to hold on to this observation, independently of the feedback from by body, environment and time.”




“The frontal lobe gives us permission to make a thought more real than anything else. To hold on to a concept, an idea, a vision or a dream, independent of circumstances. And those are the traits that we secretly admire in all great people”.

Dr. Joe Dispenza




Such ideas clashe with Brain Goal #1.

Specifically, your Amygdala doesn’t enjoy that kind of thinking. And it may sabotage your efforts consciously and subconsciously. Procrastination, fear of public speaking, and creative rationalizations to drop your idea are just a few tricks to keep you away from what it perceives as risk.




Mental Training




Navy Seals Are trained to override amygdala commands with frontal lobe decisions by:

• Goal Setting

• Mental Rehearsal

• Self Talk

• Arousal Control




“Scientists have proven that it's impossible to long-jump 30 feet, but I don't listen to that kind of talk. Thoughts like that have a way of sinking into your feet.”

Carl Lewis




Why Lift a Finger?




Power Visualization

1992 Journal of Neurophysiology

• Group A: repeatedly pulling on a string

• Group B: visualizing pulling the string

• Control Group: doing nothing




Miraculously

A month later

• Group A: 30% increase in muscle strength

• Group B: 22% increase in muscle strength

• Control Group: no increase




Specialized Areas




Functional MRI shows us how they light up.

Cells that fire together, wire together.




Memory

The re-creation of past experiences by the synchronous firing of neurons what were involved in the original experience.

Where were you when The Twins fell? What’s the next idea your where going to talk about?




Photographic Memory




Memory Loss




Memory Growth The Enlarged Hypocampus of London Taxi Drivers




Neuroplasticity

• Nature and Nurture

• Learning changes our synaptic wiring

• It can even override genetically programmed modules

You have the capacity to wire your brain

How could we have overlook this for so many years?




The Missing Link




Biggest Science Hoax




“Science advances one funeral at a time”

Max Planck




Mechanistic Bias







ThoughtsChangeBrainStructureNobel PrizeEric Kandel, 2000Physiology of Memory




"As a Man thinketh in his heart, so he is"

The Book of Proverbs chapter 23, verse 7




Acquired HappinessMattieu Ricard




Placebo Effect




Pain Killing VR




My FavoritesBooks That Made Me Change My Mind




“I saw people rewire their brains with their thoughts, to cure previously incurable obsessions and traumas.”

Norman Doidge




Explaining how thoughts can create chemical reactions that keep you addicted to patterns and feelings—including ones that make you unhappy. And how to grow better habits.




With some super cool interactive brain imaging maps and videos




Rule #4

We don’t pay attention to boring things.







To predict ad and message effectiveness, we can now use eye tracking




and EEG




Hemispheric sensitive design: Images on the left, text on the right.

Neurofocus - The Why of Buy




Leverage the brains natural attraction to novelty and familiarity





Feed it puzzles





Brains love

Motion

Novelty

Error

Ambiguity





Show human faces





Lead with emotion





Help men advance





Men are motivated by competition





Sex sells. Sometimes





Appeal to men’s spatial awareness





Help women connect





Women are wired to look at infants and young children.





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“There are always three speeches for every one you actually gave: The one you practices, the one you gave and the one you wish you gave”

Dale Carnegie




Go to www.MayaElhalal.com for more



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