Matthew D. Lieberman

El renombrado psicólogo Matthew D. Lieberman explora investigaciones innovadoras en neurociencia social que revelan que nuestra necesidad de conectarnos con otras personas es aún más fundamental, más basica, que nuestra necesidad de comida o refugio. Lieberman sostiene que la necesidad de acercarnos y conectar con los demas es uno de los principales motores de nuestro comportamiento, y nuevas investigaciones muestran que nuestro cerebro reacciona al dolor y al placer sociales de manera muy similar a como lo hace con el dolor y el placer fisicos. Tenemos una capacidad unica para leer la mente de otras personas, para descubrir sus esperanzas, miedos y motivaciones, lo que nos permite coordinar eficazmente nuestras vidas. Ademas, la percepcion mas intima de quienes somos esta estrechamente relacionada con las personas y los grupos importantes de nuestra vida. Esta conexion suele llevarnos a refrenar nuestros impulsos egoistas por el bien comun. Estos mecanismos dan lugar a comportamientos que pueden parecer irracionales, pero que en realidad son solo el resultado de nuestra profunda conexion social.

El renombrado psicólogo Matthew D. Lieberman explora investigaciones innovadoras en neurociencia social que revelan que nuestra necesidad de conectarnos con otras personas es aún más fundamental, más basica, que nuestra necesidad de comida o refugio. Lieberman sostiene que la necesidad de acercarnos y conectar con los demas es uno de los principales motores de nuestro comportamiento, y nuevas investigaciones muestran que nuestro cerebro reacciona al dolor y al placer sociales de manera muy similar a como lo hace con el dolor y el placer fisicos. Tenemos una capacidad unica para leer la mente de otras personas, para descubrir sus esperanzas, miedos y motivaciones, lo que nos permite coordinar eficazmente nuestras vidas. Ademas, la percepcion mas intima de quienes somos esta estrechamente relacionada con las personas y los grupos importantes de nuestra vida. Esta conexion suele llevarnos a refrenar nuestros impulsos egoistas por el bien comun. Estos mecanismos dan lugar a comportamientos que pueden parecer irracionales, pero que en realidad son solo el resultado de nuestra profunda conexion social.

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 m

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 peoples 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.