The article explains how the marketing of this American staple, soup, is changing
due to biometric analysis of consumer’s response to the label on the soup can.
That’s right! The change is not in response to the consumer’s preference for the
taste, the look, the texture or the content of the product but their reaction to the
label on the soup can. They’re using a new technique called neuromarketing to
determine what consumer’s are responding to on the soup can label.

Specifically, it seems that steam coming off from the bowl of soup has been
added to the picture on the new label for Campbell’s soups. Steam rising off
the soup makes it “seem” warm and the “feel” of warmth is more emotionally
engaging to the consumer. Campbell’s has also taken out the ubiquitous spoon
full of soup that historically hovered over the soup bowl. Research showed that
the spoon provoked little emotional response from consumers.

So what’s this got to do with the RightBrain Revolution? Well, remember that
our emotional responses are largely a function of right brain activity. The left-
brain is analytical and rational. The right brain is emotional and relational. And
the Campbell’s marketing gurus of their 1 billion dollar per year product, soup,
have taken a decided turn to the right brain. They’ve made their soup labels
more right brain friendly. They are hoping it will increase their sales by 20 million
dollars per year. Whoa, twenty million dollars, now that’s quite a benefit of the
RightBrain Revolution!

On the other hand, I am concerned about whether we, by way of our federal government, can really afford to offer another entitlement. With skyrocketing deficits I fear that my kids and even my granddaughter will be burdened with stifling debt.

Of course this internal conflict is reflected in my daily life. I’m a psychologist who attempts empathy for all who choose me as their care giver. I’m some sort of bleeding heart with those whom I interact. But on the home front I guess you would call me a fiscal conservative. I try to live on a fraction of my income and I certainly don’t like anymore debt than is absolutely necessary.

So the public debate and my own internal conflict about health care reform rages on and then I heard a commentator boil it all down. He said that for one side this was about empathy and for the other side it was about numbers. At that point it dawned on me! This debate has, at least in part, at its core the RightBrain Revolution. This is a political debate that is viewed very differently by those who live more in their right brain than by those who live primarily in their left-brain.

You’ll remember that the right brain is relational and empathic. It is therefore a sympathizer with the notion of universal health care because if says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” And who can argue with that?

But also remember that we have a left-brain and it says, “Break this down, analyze it and be logical.” The left-brain says, “Can we afford it?”

In my everyday life my right brain tells me that I really love this sculpture that I found in an art gallery. The right brain sees intuitively. It knows what I like. And my left brain, through a careful analysis, tells me whether or not I can afford it. I don’t want my right brain running me in to bankruptcy but I also don’t want my left-brain drowning out my emotion, creativity, love and compassion for others and my appreciation for beauty.

And so it goes in Washington. The right brain compassion versus the left-brain practicality. Of course the right brainers try to appease the left-brainers by offering that the bill is a fiscally responsible plan. And the left-brainers try to counter the right brainers that it’s not that they don’t want all to have access to health care but it has to be done in another, less costly, way. And of course it is true that the right brainers are not intentionally fiscally irresponsible any more that the left-brainers are without concern for those who are uninsured and without affordable access to medical care.

The issue of the health care legislation is, of course, layered with political complexities and nuisances far beyond right brain versus left-brain perspective. But, in the midst of this intense debate the notion that these divergent groups were operating from different parts of their brain helped me to appreciate that I too was having the internal debate between these two distinctly different perspectives. This insight also provided context that helped me to see that there wasn’t truly a right and wrong perspective, just different viewpoints.

It further caused me to wonder why the two sides couldn’t find compromise. After all, as individuals we work best when we engage both halves of our brains. Wouldn’t that likely be true for our country too?

It takes reflection to appreciate different points of view. And reflection is a consequence of maturity. The more immature we are the more we know that we and we alone, can not have all the answers. The more mature we are the more we can work toward the common good. I long for maturity in myself. I work to grow and embrace it. I long for it in those making decisions in Washington too. For all of our sake, I hope they become more reflective soon.

Collective intelligence explains why the rate of change in the previous agrarian period was so much slower than the rate of change in our modern urban culture. When living rurally there simply wasn’t as much interaction between people. And less interpersonal interaction means less innovation.

For many decades scientists and especially psychologists have studied creativity and intelligence as residing in the individual. We wanted to know how Picasso saw what he saw. Or what made Bill Gates the genius he is. We were curious about what it was about Oprah that she could reinvent herself and stay on top for so long. We were looking for their individual characteristics.

The problem was we were looking in the wrong place. Truth is the sophistication of our time lies not within the individual but in the collective. In our day no one does anything of greatness on their own. That includes the apparent individual feats of Picasso, Gates and Oprah. In fact, a reasonable claim can be made that everything that we do and the tools we use to do them are the consequence of the exchange of information between people.

Consider that the car you drive, the computer you use, the food you eat, everything is the consequence of a group effort. No one person could create even the simplest of the tools we use regularly.

And this is pretty much right brain stuff. Remember it is the right brain that is more creative and relational. The right brain sees the big picture.

True, the left-brain is the logical, analytical hemisphere. And we must have critical thinking in order to advance as a species. But the increased importance of the right brain is the critical difference of the last century.

All the best left-brained thinking got us through the 19th century. The advances in transportation, communication and even medicine in the 20th and 21st century are due to the collaboration of individuals.

So if you want to maximize your potential. If you want to move beyond your finite personal intellectual capability. If you want to free yourself for new ideas and opportunities spend more time in the right brain. Be open, be playful, see the big picture and, most of all, engage others. It is after all, The RightBrain Revolution.

Granted most people aren’t consciously aware of the relationship of Watson’s Jeopardy triumph to the Right Brain Revolution but in a subtle and largely unconscious way there has been a shift in the how we see the world. Computers from Watson to our cell phones are increasingly serving the function of the left-brain.

This Right Brain Revolution has been upon us for years. In our digital age no longer does our logical, data oriented left-brain distinguish us from one another. You may have a better left-brain than me but my computer is the equalizer. My average left-brain with my computer can compete with the best left-brained human on the planet.

To distinguish ourselves or our products and services we must intentionally use right brain functions. And we must appeal to the right brain impressions of others. The right brain is creative, joyful, emotional, empathic and relational. Our right brain knows what it wants when it sees it but often can’t describe it. Increasingly we must know how to “speak” the language of the right brain if we intend to succeed.

The Watson phenomenon is fascinating news but it is also more than that. It is a signal to us that the world is changing. Those who hear the news of Watson’s triumph as simply interesting will likely miss the point. Those who are intrigued with what it means for the future will understand the true significance of this development. The Right Brain Revolution has arrived!

As children age gratitude is critical to the development of another right brain function – empathy. It appears empathy manifests between ages four and six and is another benefit of the reflectiveness. Empathy is the most powerful force on Earth and is the foundation of compassion and love.

It is no surprise that these right brain functions enhance relationships. The right brain is, after all, the relational brain hemisphere and out of this relational focus comes other powerful right brain benefits such as creativity and joy.

Thanksgiving is over but that doesn’t mean we should quit giving thanks. The holiday should simply be the annual opportunity to recommit ourselves to the practice of gratitude all year long.

Oh, and here’s the bonus, those who live with gratitude are less materialistic, more optimistic and have more friends. Research also shows they are happier and more energetic, are less likely to suffer from envy and greed, and they make more money. They also sleep more soundly, exercise more routinely and have fewer viruses. What’s not to like about any of this?

So, in this the age of the Right Brain Revolution, use the reflectiveness and gratitude of your relational brain to enhance your overall experience of life. Empathize, create and enjoy. Be grateful and you will have more for which to be grateful. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle with a huge payoff. In all things be thankful! Happy Thanksgiving all year!

Answer: Because men don’t ever stop to ask for directions. Funny? Is there an element of truth? It does seem that men are more hesitant to ask for help. But why? Is it stubbornness or pride?

Thirty years ago, at the height of the woman’s liberation movement, I was probably the only man in America brave or stupid enough to be a co-therapist in a women’s consciousness raising group. It was my female co-therapist and me with a dozen co-eds looking to throw off yoke of gender discrimination.

It was a trying experience for me. Obviously a couple of the common feelings these women had were frustration and anger. Being the only man in the room I often experienced their displaced wrath.

During one evening’s group I made the mistake of suggesting that just as men and women have many physical and biological differences perhaps we also have neurological dissimilarities. Wow, did I get toasted!

In retrospect I understand that in the context of that group, at that time in our culture, to suggest inherent, hard-wired differences was suspected to be an excuse to perpetuate stereotypes and continue discriminating against women. My timing was horrible. But the message was valid.

Research has confirmed that neurologically determined communication patterns between men and women are distinct. Simply stated, men are more competitive in their communication while women are more relational. Men aren’t inclined to make themselves vulnerable and, in fact, try to communicate superiority. They will try to “one up” each other. Women look for ways to connect through their communication.

The Right Brain Revolution tells us that competitiveness is a function of the left-brain while empathy and relationships are right brain functions. Does this mean that men are more inclined to be left-brain oriented while women are predisposed to the right brain? Before you rage against such a suggestion stop and consider that one is not better than the other. Differences are a source of strength.

So if Moses wandered in the desert for thirty years because he wouldn’t stop and ask for directions it was because he was neurological wired to react that way. The untold story may be that it was the women who, through their neurological propensity for connection and relationships, brought and kept the Israelites together until they finally arrived at the promised land.

We don’t exactly understand yawning. We certainly don’t know why it appears to be contagious. But what we do know is that there seems to be a direct correlation between the susceptibly to contagious yawning and our empathy with others. Yup, the more empathic you are the more likely you cannot resist yawning when your see another person yawn.

I know of a physician friend whose medical school classmates would simply write the word “yawn” on a sheet of paper and hold in up during rounds. He would involuntarily yawn. They got a kick out of it. He is a highly empathic doctor. And his empathy makes him particularly effective with patients.

The right brain is the neural site of empathy. The more we exercise the right brain the more the characteristics seeded there manifest in our lives. So as you consider living more from your right brain observe your susceptibility to yawning. In The RightBrain Revolution you should experience and we should witness a lot more contagious yawning.

I have an acquaintance, a very successful business woman, who has been bogged down with the left-brain demands of her organization and her career. She complained to me of mild depression, fatigue and “staleness.” She wasn’t having any fun in life and was frustrated. Then it happened. She bought some art supplies and began to “do” art. Her efforts at first, while fun, were challenging and the product of her efforts often unsatisfying but she persisted.

As she stuck with it she got better. Her art got better and so did she. Her mild dysphoria lifted and her energy level improved and she reported that she felt a new zest in everything she did. What she had done was to move to the right brain for some creativity, playfulness and fun. And in doing that she had rested and revitalized her left-brain.

Thinking about this right brain stuff is interesting, and considering how some day you’ll try to work it in to your life is hopeful, but nothing changes if you don’t do it. So take the leap, make the effort and, as the Nike slogan goes, “Just Do It!”

Right brain living is about increasing the amount of time you live in the now. We all have regrets of the past and worries about the future but in the moment, nearly each and every moment of our lives, we are fine.

You might say something like this: “Easy for you to say you’re not living my life. My husband lost his job six months ago and I have a twenty year old son who just got arrested for possession of pot. I have worries every minute of every day. Worries of how we will make it financially. And I have regrets as to how we raised our son and whether he is headed for a life of misery.” And it is true that we have regrets and worries but notice that they are past and future oriented. In the moment, almost every moment, we are just fine.

There is peace in living in this moment, the now. Actually the moment, even in the midst of heartache and anxiety, is very quiet, very still, very tranquil.

It is the right brain that is focused in the now. The left-brain is time oriented and even time obsessed. The right brain is process oriented and, if allowed to be now focused, enjoys the journey. So in our quest to incorporate right brain living in to our left-brain scheduled, orderly, deadline focused lives try reminding yourself that at this very moment, even in the busyness of life, all is fine. This act of entertaining right brain focus while going about your life will bring perspective and with perspective will come peace. Peace be with you.

However, three decades later I remember only the experiences and the stories. I vividly recall my own perceptual experiences of my graduate school experiences. But I also remember the stories that contributed to my training as a clinical psychologist.

I remember the stories of B.J.’s remarkable abilities to interpret minimal psychological testing data in a way that gave him insight in to a patient’s issues well beyond what many young clinicians would have garnered after seeing that same patient for dozens of sessions. And I remember how Max would use paradoxical intention to slice through the resistance of court ordered treatment for a teen. I recall the stories my patients told me way back then.

My left-brain was trained as a psychologist but so was my right brain. My left was given the data and information. It was filled with the rationale and logic of psychology. My right brain was given examples of how applying this knowledge of psychology would create a story of the intervention in another person’s life.

The right brain prefers story. It understands life, even psychology, in terms of relationship, empathy, meaning and synthesizing, rather than analyzing, the big picture. And we remember story better than we remember facts. This is especially true if the story incorporates another right brain propensity: visualization.

So if you want to enhance your right brain and at the same time have a more powerful, more memorable impact on others then learn to tell stories. Whenever possible, when trying to communicate factual data, tell stories. And, for your own good, try to learn the important things you need to know in life by way of stories. You are more likely to retain and recall these lessons in times of need. Stories have always been the most powerful way to communicate ideas and concepts but the RightBrain Revolution has shown us just how powerful stories are.