Warning: I will change your brain in the next hour!
These were Maren Urner's first words in one of her many talks on how sustainable action starts in our heads. So be warned! Because the neuroscientist takes us into our stone age brain.
All crises in this world are based on the fact that we humans do not communicate well enough and because some functions of our Stone Age brain are no longer quite as useful today. In fact, our brain functions have not changed significantly since the Stone Age, explains Maren Urner with a scan of her brain.
A brief introduction to this brain is required: Maren Urner is a neuroscientist and professor of media psychology at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences for Media, Communication and Business. The bestselling author and founder of Perspective Daily magazine explores the question of why we treat crises - especially the climate crisis - in such a contradictory way. Because although we know that the climate crisis is the greatest threat to humanity, we "create" a new record in CO2 emissions every year. Why are we behaving so paradoxically?
Think first, then talk
Every human brain is different in terms of its shape and the way it works. Everyone therefore perceives the world differently (taste, smell, etc.) and interprets it differently. As we can't simply swap our brains to see how others experience the world, we have no choice but to communicate our view of things: Through speaking, facial expressions, gestures, writing, via social media, and so on. And, as Maren Urner deliberately provokes, we are (still) pretty bad at communicating.
Only bad news is good news?
An example of "bad" communication: the surplus of negative news. This makes us perceive the world as much worse than it actually is. Why do we like to focus so much on the negative and not report much more on the positive?
This is where the Stone Age comes into play: if a sabre-toothed tiger is standing in front of you, you are well advised not to concentrate on the beautiful grassy landscape or the fresh air, but to focus all your senses on protecting yourself from the sabre-toothed tiger.
Today, we are fighting a "digital sabre-toothed tiger" in the form of a flood of negative messages sent directly to our smartphones.
Fight - Flight - Freeze
The reaction of our brain is the same in both situations: fear and uncertainty. We switch to survival mode. In the case of fear, our brain only recognizes three reactions, here using the example of the climate crisis:
- Fight (Climate activists stick themselves to the streets)
- Escape (we ignore the problem and continue to enjoy life as before)
- Freezing (feeling of powerlessness - not knowing what to do)
If we switch to survival mode in the fight against the "digital sabre-toothed tiger", our higher cognitive abilities - the ones that make us so smart - are blocked and our brain activities are reduced to basic functions.
Creatures of habit
In addition, our Stone Age brain wants to work as energy-efficiently as possible. After all, Stone Age people didn't enjoy the convenience of knowing when their next meal would be. Turning activities into habits simply makes our brains more energy efficient.
Even helplessness becomes a habit that paralyzes us, preventing us from taking action. We hear it all the time: The problem is too complex or we won't be able to solve it in time. With the sad side effect that 56% of young people believe that humanity is doomed and are convinced that they can no longer expect a future worth living.
The neuroscientist speaks of a global helplessness from which we must emerge in order to overcome our paradoxical behavior in the face of crises.
How do we get out of this helplessness?
The good news is that our brain changes throughout our lives, at every moment, with every thought. Even into old age, we can "change our brains" through learning and new experiences and develop new behaviors and habits. But how? For example, through better communication!
Talking about problems creates problems, talking about solutions creates solutions.
Steve de Shazer, American psychotherapist and author
"Neuroscientifically, it makes a big difference whether we look at things in a problem-oriented or solution-oriented way," explains Urner. It doesn't mean that we ignore the problem. On the contrary, we turn to the problem, but ask ourselves different questions: not "Who is to blame?", but "Who can do what?".
Maren Urner advocates "for" instead of "against". If you are against something (e.g. war), you automatically adopt a defensive stance. If you are for something (peace), your perspective changes to "where should we go and how do we get there?". You look to the future, not the past.
Putting your heads together
An "against" automatically creates camp thinking: good and bad, friend and foe. Nobody wants to be seen as a bad person (climate sinner).
A "for" creates a different kind of group thinking: we go in search of common denominators for a common goal (climate neutrality). On a cerebral level, we create solidarity; on a behavioral level, we create better listening, more trust and a willingness to engage with the topic.
Sustainable action is a brain workout
If we are looking for solutions that are not yet there, we tap into our imagination, which is what makes us humans so special. This involves cognitive processes that promote dynamic thinking. However, imagining something that is not yet there requires brain power, i.e. energy. Similar to sport, new - sustainable - actions have to be trained until they become a new habit. Advantage: As with sport, the reward mode switches on after training.
Stories are brain food
"Our brains love stories," explains Maren Urner. In order to overcome our own helplessness in a supposedly hopeless situation (such as the climate crisis), we need to feed our brains with stories that make our self-efficacy tangible. "Because self-efficacy is the antagonist of helplessness." We need to hear, read or see about how we can shape our lives and create a fully sustainable world.
Maren Urner takes the media to task here. Approaches such as constructive journalism or new formats for solution-oriented news are gaining momentum. But every single brain is also called upon to overcome our paradoxical behavior in the face of major crises.
The first step is to reflect on how we process news ourselves and whether it makes a difference if (only) negative or also positive news and suggestions for solutions are reported. Try it out, you can find reading material and more tips here and below. Or ask your favorite media for solutions or positive examples if they are missing. In this way, we can trick our stone age brain with its love of negativity and learn more ability to act.
PS: Has your brain changed after reading this article?
