Kirjahaku

Why are we influenced by the behaviour of complete strangers? Why does the brain register similar pleasure when I perceive something as 'fair' or when I eat chocolate? Why can we be so profoundly hurt by bereavement? What are the evolutionary benefits of these traits? The young discipline of 'social cognitive neuroscience' has been exploring this fascinating interface between brain science and human behaviour since the late 1990s. Now one of its founding pioneers, Matthew D. Lieberman, presents the discoveries that he and fellow researchers have made. Using fMRI scanning and a range of other techniques, they have been able to see that the brain responds to social pain and pleasure the same way as physical pain and pleasure; and that unbeknown to ourselves, we are constantly 'mindreading' other people so that we can fit in with them. It is clear that our brains are designed respond to and be influenced by others. For good evolutionary reasons, he argues, we are wired to be social. The implications are numerous and profound. Do we have to rethink what we understand by identity, and free will? How can managers improve the way their teams relate and perform? Could we organize large social institutions in ways that would work far better? And could there be whole new methods of education?

We are profoundly social creatures - more than we know. In Social, renowned psychologist Matthew Lieberman explores groundbreaking research in social neuroscience revealing that our need to connect with other people is even more fundamental, more basic, than our need for food or shelter. Because of this, our brain uses its spare time to learn about the social world - other people and our relation to them. It is believed that we must commit 10,000 hours to master a skill. According to Lieberman, each of us has spent 10,000 hours learning to make sense of people and groups by the time we are ten. Social argues that our need to reach out to and connect with others is a primary driver behind our behavior. We believe that pain and pleasure alone guide our actions. Yet, new research using fMRI - including a great deal of original research conducted by Lieberman and his UCLA lab -- shows that our brains react to social pain and pleasure in much the same way as they do to physical pain and pleasure. Fortunately, the brain has evolved sophisticated mechanisms for securing our place in the social world. We have a unique ability to read other people's minds, to figure out their hopes, fears, and motivations, allowing us to effectively coordinate our lives with one another. And our most private sense of who we are is intimately linked to the important people and groups in our lives. This wiring often leads us to restrain our selfish impulses for the greater good. These mechanisms lead to behavior that might seem irrational, but is really just the result of our deep social wiring and necessary for our success as a species. Based on the latest cutting edge research, the findings in Social have important real-world implications. Our schools and businesses, for example, attempt to minimalize social distractions. But this is exactly the wrong thing to do to encourage engagement and learning, and literally shuts down the social brain, leaving powerful neuro-cognitive resources untapped. The insights revealed in this pioneering book suggest ways to improve learning in schools, make the workplace more productive, and improve our overall well-being.

Matthew Lieberman visar med banbrytande forskning inom social neurovetenskap, i många fall hans egen, att vårt behov att knyta an till andra människor är ännu mer grundläggande, mer fundamentalt, än vårt behov av mat eller husrum. I boken Det sociala djuret visar han att vårt behov av att ta kontakt med och knyta an till andra är den primära drivkraften bakom vårt beteende. Ny hjärnforskning visar att våra hjärnor reagerar på social smärta och njutning på i stort sett samma sätt som de gör på fysisk smärta och njutning. För att skydda oss själva har våra hjärnor utvecklat en unik förmåga att läsa andra människors tankar, förstå deras drömmar, rädslor och vad som driver dem. Det gör att vi på ett effektivt sätt kan samordna våra liv med andras. Dessa mekanismer får oss ofta att hålla tillbaka våra själviska impulser till förmån för det allmänna bästa. Resultatet blir beteenden som kan framstå som irrationella, men som i verkligheten är följden av djupa sociala funktioner och nödvändiga för vår framgång som art. Slutsatserna i Det sociala djuret, som bygger på forskningsfrontens allra senaste resultat, får effekter på verkliga livet. Våra skolor och företag försöker minimera sociala distraktioner, men det är fullständigt fel om man vill uppmuntra engagemang och lärande, och slår bokstavligt talat av den sociala hjärnan vilket gör att kraftfulla kognitiva resurser inte används. Bokens insikter pekar ut sätt att förbättra skolan, göra arbetsplatsen mer produktiv och stärka vårt allmänna välmående. Liebermans bok förändrar vår syn på vårt sociala tänkande i samma anda som Daniel Kahnemans Tänka, snabbt och långsamt.