Neuroscience of Personality - Brain Savvy Insights For All Types of People

200 Pages·2011·30.9 MB·English

by  Dario Nardi

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PERSONALITY

Brain Savvy Insights
For All Types of People

PARRY

Dario Nardi, Ph.D.
Neuroscience
of
Personality

Brain Savvy Insights
For All Types of People

1.0

by Dario Nardi, PhD
Credits

Copyright July 2011, Dario Nardi v1.06

Al rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, distrib

uted, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, with-
out the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief
‘quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses
permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher,
addressed: “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

Published by:
Radiance House, PO Box 691971
Los Angeles, California, 90069

hutp:/ /www.radiancchouse.com

The terms Improvise, Stabilizer, heorist, and Catalyst are trademarks of Linda
'V Berens. The text under Needs/ Values and the text under Talents on pages 78,
80, 82, and 84 are taken from Understanding Yourself and Others, An Intreiction to
the 4 Temperaments-4.0 by Linda Berens and used with permission,

Cover design by Yehuda BenJehoshua, EEG brain maps and photographs by Dario

"Nardi. Photographs are blurred for privacy. All other illustrations are public
domain

Except on the opposite page, subjects’ names are altered to protect their privacy.

Edited by Alison Minami

Printed in the United States of America
Thank You |

‘The following persons, who are mostly UCLA students, participated in this
research from fall 2006 through spring 2011

Alana Purcell Evan Shulman Michael Thompson
Alex Crown Gabriel Mizrahi Mike Moskowitz
Alex Lovell Grace Lo Nanae Kido
Alexis Craig Guy Rodgers Nuper Mathur
Ali Ghandor Hiromi Takabashi isen O'Conner
Alice Chang Jacqui deBorje Patricja Petrac
‘Amy Huang JonahanVijanderan —_Paymon Vafa

Ben Barman Jennifer Luh Pedram Deraei
Bo Han Jesse Kobernik Raymond Beyda
Brady Gibson Jon Stone Robert Martin
Brittany Ryan Josh Norris Ross Bernet
Bryan Suechting Kareen Hammad Sam Herskovitz
Bryan White Katherine Quach Shawn Smith
Cait O'Donnell Kathryn Ek Shek Wong
Carolina Romanelli__Kecia Nason Shervin Sarraf
Catherine Costello __Ligia Reyes Solaris Power
Catherine Perez Maher Abdel-Sattar Stephanie Ng
Daisuke Imai Manav Sidhe Tanya Parshi
Dana Shuler ‘Matt Atkin ‘Tobias Divine
Daniel Segal Max Schneider Travor Pratt
Diana Shadbchr ‘Mei Chen Vivian Vecchio
Drew Morton Melody Kasher Yasha Torabi

“Thank you Pam Fox Rollin for helping frame and launch may frst public foray on this
topic. Thank you Linda V Berens for your years of gaidance and support. Thank you
Linda Eliot, Belinda Lange, Susin Nash, Richard Hendrickson, Judah Polack, Dov
Pollack, Lieve ermesien, Gudula van Beem, Carolyn and Larry Gabbard, Clare Ayers,
‘Sue Bhir, Melody Camp, Janet Hoffman, Ravi Verma, and jamie Johnson for your
invitations, enthusiasm, and logistics. Thank you Yehuda BenJehoshur for your spirit
Contents
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1. Let's Get Brain Savvy! .. z
2. Welcome to the Lab... 21
3. Overview of the Neocortex .. 3
4. Cognitive Skill-Sets 49
5. Personality Types a
6. Keys tothe Payche 87
7. Natalie: A Case Study lS
8. Insights In Action 135
9. la-Depth Exploration 151
10. Now What? ”
Appendix: Resources 187
Neuroscience of Personality

1.
Let's Get
Brain Savvy!

«

Inside your brain are many keys to what make you and others tick. Imagine
peering into the minds of your clients, friends, and loved-ones. Now you can!

For over fifty years, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® assessment has
been a pencil-paper tool to better understand oneself and others through the
dynamics of sixteen personality types. You may be familiar with terms ike INFP
or EST}, or with the works of Dr. Carl Jung It’s been a tantalizing start. Today,
the emerging field of neuroscience is validating and building upon the work of
the ploneers of personality. Neuroscience olfers us a wonderful opportunity
to clarify and perhaps even redefine who we are and what we ere capable of.
Knowing the brain lessens guesswork while promoting a valuable idea: Every
person comes into this world with capabilites and potential, and together we
‘an prosper by our different gifts.

People are waking up to neuroscience. In my workshops, I use colorful
ancedotes, hands-on activities, and brain imagery to provide very specifi tips
for coaching and leading for individuals ofall personality types. Among the tips
are two big secrets: 1) Each personality type shows patterns of brain activity
that strongly influence their experience, and 2) Everyone is capable of “creative
flow", though what evokes that flow varies, If you get one thing from this book,
it is the many ways that you and others may nurture your creative low.

Five years ago I begen a quest to better understand myself and others
through brain research. I used funds from a teaching award to buy “EEG” neuro-
‘mapping equipment. 1 fondly recall the first day in lab, I was excited to observe
actual brain activity happening in bright colors before my eyes, as opposed to
just reading about the brain, The students and I felt we were peering into a

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Dario Nardi

secret world, I could barely sleep for weeks afterward, and I quickly got into
the groove of designing experiments and recruiting trainees, I say “trainees” for
‘wo reasons. First, young people are our future.’The more I can encourage the
inquiring heart of the scientific method and reveal the boons of knowledge, the
better Iam doing my profession, Second, though I am certified in human sub-
jects research, I wish to focus on open-ended exploration rather than follow a
pre-designed protocol, useful though that can be. ! have thus designated my lab
4 a workshop to teach sklls—to mentor trainees—rather than as a chamber to
experiment with subjects.

Since the first exciting days, [have confirmed that individual differences
truly matter, People of various personality types don’t merely rely on different
brain regions. They use their brains in fundamentally different ways. I use the
ideas of Myers-Briggs and Dr. Jung because there are clear neurological and
psychological similarities when I do side-by-side comparisons of two people of
the same personality type. Moreover, Dr Jung sought to transcend culturally
defined notions of mind and self to offer a truly cross-cultural framework that

This Book Will Get You Brain Savvy
By reading this book, you will:
| + Better understand yourself and others. We can use brain research to help

‘move from blame to compassion when explaining behavior,

+ Learn to target “in flow" and “low.threshold” activities that engage peo-

ple creatively and improve their work-flow and learning.

+ Identify people's struggles, stress areas, and boundary points, including

“high threshold” activities for which a person may avoid or do poorly.

* Point to the neurological validity of the Jungian model of the mind,
studing the ever-popular and statistically-validated Myers -Briggs person-
| ality assessment and related tools. People like to know there is science.

+ Appreciate the mind/brain as diverse, dynamic system rather than asa
[small set of static traits,
} * Gain a bird’s eye view that summarizes many key aspects of the brain all
i ‘n one place, knowing that what you learn has been observed first-hand.
| + Amaze people with coo! insights and implications for how people oper-
ate! You may cven learn which part of your head to point to and say, "This
is where I'm thinking right now? 3

8

a
Neuroscience of Personality

touches on and values the full human drama, At the same

me, every brain is
unique. No two persons are alike. Males and females diller somewhat, Culture,
‘expertise, talents—these evoke differences too. And your brain today is not
‘your destiny. One of my students, a senior in neuroscience, stated confidently,
“7m not nearly as logical asthe other students in my clases. If it weren’t for my
parents, Td be in English or history. Sure enough, | detected minimal ativity
in key logical reasoning centers over the two hour lab. Yet that did not deter this
student from discovering how to succeed in a demanding science curriculum,
likely by relying on brain regions with which she has more proficiency.

‘You may have noticed the book title indicates version “I.0°, This is not a
rere affectation. Rather, people keep asking fora book. Here itis! You will find
the latest insights and implications, But know, there is more undiscovered coun-
tny. Every time I gear-up another traince (lab subject), I wonder anew if Iwill
encounter a surprise. A new tidbit always springs up. Sometimes, that person is
key to untangling a mass of prior observations. Thus, in the coming years, there
will surely bea version 2,0 and perhaps 3.0. There will always be more to learn
after running more labs, conducting more statistical analy

is, and reading more
of wl sds recone Lesbos aswel toute mol, ws andy
begins with lots of exploration and observation to challenge what is worth our
passion. Inthe discipline of anthropology, where I have been located at UCLA,
a first-hand observational process results in ethnographic reports. Similarly,
please think of this book asa report of a very meaty and interesting pilot study,

asa neurographie report.

‘This book is meant for everyone with a passion to understand and help
themselvesand others. Thope coaches, counselors, managers, parents, teachers,
trainers and others will gain insight and utility. Also, I wish to suggest to fellow
researchers andl academics that there is value using models and methods with
‘which they may be unfamiliar or dislike. For students of neuroscience, here is
a well-organized buffet useful in any neuroscience lab! For everyone else, con:
sider knowledge of your own mind as your rightful inheritance,

Typical Brain Research
More than ever, people are applying i

ights from brain research to better
understand questions that have previously resisted deep investigation, Some-
times results surprise us with a counter intuitive “Ah hal” Other times they
Dario Nardi

seem to confirm what we “already knew". Here are some typical investigative
‘questions that brain researchers have asked and the results they have received.

In Economics
Q Do your purchasing habits adhere to classic economic principles of maxi-
mum utility?

‘A: Only brain-damaged persons and trained economists answer according to
<assicl economic theory. You read that rightly! Economists tap a specific brain
region while the rest of us rely on various regions that suit our ad-hoc struggles.

In Political Science
‘Q Should a politcal candidate focus on appealing to his/her base of voters or
reach out to an opponent's base of voters?

‘A: Non-supporters use both emotional and reasoning centers to deny a candi-
date of an opposing politcal party. Supporters only use emotional centers to
like their own politico and may completely miss the candidate’ contradictions.

In Education
(Q Is there a best way for kids to learn mathematics?

A: Though several regions help with math, people use different regions based
‘on how they learned math, Methods may be auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and so
‘on. Some methods appear more effective than others for use in daly life

In Psychology
How do people manage their emotions?

‘A: This question is so complex. Let's narrow it and focus on a finer question,
“How do people get angry?” When people allow negative input (criticism, ete)
into their awareness, and they fail © manage their inner response by turning it
into sadness, then they become angry.

In Religion
Q: Does anything special occur in the brain when people pray or meditate?
A:Yes. The average person can quiet his or her mind. Professional meditators
from India are able to shut on and off at will a region ofthe brain that applies a
boundary between oneself and the world. They can choose to feel “infinite”

10
Neuroscience of Personality

Self-Leadership

People often ask, “With all the emerging brain insights, can we improve our-
selves?” Yes! Doing so requires good self leadership. I like the following short
definition inspired by Isabel Myers,

Self-Leadership: Using your capabilities, soRening your pitfalls, and develop-
ing your potential in order to achieve a desired outcome.

“This book is your brain-savvy guide to sel-leadership. Before we dive in, please

take a moment to inventory yourself. As you complete each section below, con-
sider what others notice about you as well as what you notice about yourself

£ UNourTalents/ Capabilities:

2.-Your Pitals:

3.Your Potential Growth Areas:

Now let's take a look at ways you can identify and develop your potenti

Types, Traits, and Strange Attractors

‘When you hear aterm like “personality type", you might be tempted to define a
type ata set of fixed traits, or deny there are types at all That would be a mistake.
‘The word “type” is shorthand term. Itrfers to consistent pattern of activity, a
stable and mutually-reinforcing set of interrelated characteristics to which a per-
son is drawn toward, Like yin and yang; your capabilities, pitfalls, and potential
‘growth areas intertwine, This idea might sound vague but itis scientific, In the
mathematics of dynamic systems, atype is a"strange attractor”. The physica, bio-
logical, and social worlds are filled with strange attractors in such diverse areas
asant colonies, climate, ecology, immunity, stockmarkets, telecommunications,
and traffic. See page 168 fora peck into the strange world of dynamic systems.