I found this infographic helpful in understanding the basic differentiations between the left and right hemispheres as defined by Iain McGilchrist.
And as western civilization is increasingly becoming more left brain driven, I thought it might be interesting to reflect on McGilchrist’s list relative to this recent article in Science Advances: Interconnectedness and (in)coherence as a signature of conspiracy worldviews
This research identifies some of the similarities in language used for conspiracy theories, regardless of the specific content of the message. While the article makes no mention of the difference in brain hemispheres, it is clear that the language used in the messages that are promoting conspiracies are left hemisphere.
This is not really new information. We are subjected to this same type of language with advertising and, perhaps most obvious, the click-bait ads online. Some sites are simply covered with links that promise to tell us “secrets that they don’t want us to know."
Seriously, I have been in the fitness industry for nearly 30 years and the ways to get yourself more fit is not some closely held secret.
The point is, this language is pervasive because it works. It is designed to directly connect with a part of your brain that will motivate you to some action. Sometimes, though very rarely, this method has been used for some positive actions (ex.handwashing in Kenya) so maybe you don’t need to ignore it entirely. Another option is to recognize the message and take a moment to think about the goal behind the message.
While it is not always possible to discern the goal, thinking about it will shift your brain from simply reacting to the message and sometimes that is enough.
As always, let me know how I can help.
Adam
And as western civilization is increasingly becoming more left brain driven, I thought it might be interesting to reflect on McGilchrist’s list relative to this recent article in Science Advances: Interconnectedness and (in)coherence as a signature of conspiracy worldviews
This research identifies some of the similarities in language used for conspiracy theories, regardless of the specific content of the message. While the article makes no mention of the difference in brain hemispheres, it is clear that the language used in the messages that are promoting conspiracies are left hemisphere.
This is not really new information. We are subjected to this same type of language with advertising and, perhaps most obvious, the click-bait ads online. Some sites are simply covered with links that promise to tell us “secrets that they don’t want us to know."
Seriously, I have been in the fitness industry for nearly 30 years and the ways to get yourself more fit is not some closely held secret.
The point is, this language is pervasive because it works. It is designed to directly connect with a part of your brain that will motivate you to some action. Sometimes, though very rarely, this method has been used for some positive actions (ex.handwashing in Kenya) so maybe you don’t need to ignore it entirely. Another option is to recognize the message and take a moment to think about the goal behind the message.
While it is not always possible to discern the goal, thinking about it will shift your brain from simply reacting to the message and sometimes that is enough.
As always, let me know how I can help.
Adam
RSS Feed
