BRAIN RULES

12 Principles for Surviving

and Thriving at Work,
Home and School
JOHN MEDINA

JOHN MEDINA is a developmental molecular biologist. He specializes in studying the genes involved in
human brain development and the genetics of psychiatric disorders. Dr. Medina holds joint affiliate faculty
appointments at the University of Washington School of Medicine, in its Department of Bioengineering, and at
Seattle Pacific University, where he is the director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research. He was
the founding director of the Talaris Research Institute, a research center focused on how infants encode and
process information at the cognitive, cellular, and molecular levels. Dr Medina is the author of eight books
including The Genetic Inferno, The Clock of Ages and The Outer Limits of Life.
The Web site for this book is at www.BrainRules.net.

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 Brain Rules - Page 1

MAIN IDEA
While there is much that is still a mystery about how the human mind operates, “Brain Rules” are the twelve things scientists know for
sure about how the human brain functions. If you have a better idea of how the brain actually works, you can then start to do those
things which will help you get the most out of your brain.
“Most of us have no idea how the brain works. This has strange consequences. We try to talk on our cell phones and drive at the same
time, even though it is literally impossible for our brains to multitask when it comes to paying attention. We have created high-stress
office environments, even though a stressed brain is significantly less productive. Our schools are designed so that most real learning
has to occur at home. This would be funny if it wasn’t so harmful. Blame it on the fact that brain scientists rarely have a conversation
with teachers and business professionals, educations majors and accountants, superintendents and CEOs. Unless you have the
Journal of Neuroscience sitting on your coffee table, you’re out of the loop. The 12 Brain Rules are meant to get you into the loop and
introduce you to 12 things we know about how the brain works.”
– John Medina

Brain Rules 1 Exercise Physical exercise boosts brain power quite substantially. To be Page 2
smarter, incorporate some physical movement into your meetings
and work schedule. You’ll think more clearly that way.

2 Evolution Humans are the smartest species, not the strongest. We thrive Page 2
because we learn from our mistakes, solve problems and form
alliances. To prosper, form good relationships with others.

3 Wiring Every brain on the planet is wired a little differently from others. Page 3
That means everyone learns their own way. If you cannot allow for
this flexibility, your cognitive abilities are not fully utilized.

4 Attention Span We don’t pay attention to boring things, and we can only ever pay Page 3
attention to one thing at a time. Forget about trying to multi-task. It
can’t be done. Pay attention to what you’re doing.

5 Short-Term Memory The human brain can only hold about seven pieces of information Page 4
for 30-seconds at a time. Therefore, to learn something, repeat it
over and over. Embed what you want to know through repetition.

6 Long-term Memory If you want to remember something, remember to repeat your Page 4
exposure to it periodically. It takes years for the human brain to
consolidate a memory so stick with it.

7 Sleep The more you sleep, the better your brain works because it has Page 5
more time to arrange what you’ve learned. If you can nap while
working, you’ll be able to think even more clearly.

8 Stress Long-term stress is bad because it dilutes your ability to think Page 5
clearly. Do everything you can to minimize stress. Stress in one
part of life always spills over into all other parts as well.

9 Senses The senses always work in unison. To remember more, embed Page 6
more sensory clues into what you’re learning. Sight, sound, smell,
touch and taste are catalysts to effective thinking.

10 Vision Vision is the most powerful sense by a long way. Incorporate Page 6
pictures into what you’re learning and you’ll remember 55% more
information. Pictures trump reading every time.

11 Gender Male and female brains are different. They process emotions in Page 7
different ways. To help people learn more, pay attention to the
emotional content of what you’re saying and tailor it.

12 Exploration Humans are natural explorers. We love to hypothesize, Page 8

experiment, observe and then reach conclusions on our own. To
use this, incorporate exploration into what you present.
 Brain Rules - Page 2

Brain Rules 1 Exercise Brain Rules 2 Evolution

Physical exercise boosts brain power quite substantially. To be Humans are the smartest species, not the strongest. We thrive
smarter, incorporate some physical movement into your because we learn from our mistakes, solve problems and form
meetings and work schedule. You’ll think more clearly that way. alliances. To prosper, form good relationships with others.

The human brain evolved in conditions where physical motion There are only two ways one species can dominate others:
was a constant. As a result, even today we think better when • You become stronger and physically impose your will.
we’re moving around and doing things. We’re measurably better • You become smarter and learn how to work together.
at thinking on our feet than we ever are when seated at a desk, in Humans chose the second of these two routes and it is on this
a classroom or in a cubicle. base our survival as a species has been built. In practical terms,
Regular vigorous physical exercise produces all kinds of the human brain is a survival organ. It recognizes its key job is to
benefits. Not only do we think better but: keep us alive long enough to pass on our genes to our children.
n We age better and create the best possible situation where we Therefore, the brain allows itself to evolve to meet changing
can stay mentally engaged later in life. circumstances. It is this ability to change that makes humans
resilient and robust, even in the face of large natural disasters
n We feel more positive about the world in general when we’re
and other events.
in better physical condition.
Humans have one ability no other species has: we can use
Simply put, exercise is good for the brain. If you want to be more
symbolic reasoning. Instead of just looking at an object for what it
mentally alert, find time in your schedule for 30-minutes of
is, we can see it as representing something else. Humans can
aerobic exercise at least two or three times a week. If you can
attach meanings to objects and things even when they don’t
add a strengthening regimen as well, you’ll get even more
physically encapsulate those ideas. This gives us:
cognitive benefits.
• The ability to develop languages for communicating.
The benefits of more exercise also apply to children as well. • The capacity to reason mathematically.
Numerous studies have shown exercise improves children’s • The ability to appreciate art.
mental capacities. Physically fit children:
Symbolic reasoning is useful. No other creature on the face of
n Can concentrate for longer periods of time. the planet is capable of doing it. It allows us as humans to figure
n Become better at identifying visual stimuli. out smart ways to deal with the changes in the physical world
which are happening all the time and to learn from our mistakes
n Feel better about themselves and have higher self-esteem.
rather than having to experience everything firsthand. By having
n Are less likely to suffer from depression or anxiety. a language, we can pass on information to others and learn from
So what can you do to take advantage of the fact physical others in equal measure.
exercise boosts your brainpower? Some suggestions: The human brain has evolved over time in ways that are also
totally unique in the animal kingdom. Perhaps in response to
Instead of a lunch hour, have climatic changes, humans learned to walk on two legs rather
two exercise periods a day, than on all four. Since this was a more energy efficient way to
morning and afternoon move, more energy could be diverted to growing the brain. As a
Exercise result of this energy boost, the human brain’s structure evolved
Install treadmills in and grew. The human brain today consists of three different
classrooms and also brains layered over each other. T hese t hree
office cubicles brains-within-the-brain are:
1. The brain stem or “lizard brain” – which controls the essential
1. Make a 20-30 minute exercise period in the morning and and necessary housekeeping chores like breathing, heart
another each afternoon a part of your regular schedule. One rate, sleeping and walking.
session could be aerobic exercise, the other strengthening
2. The “mammalian brain” – which controls the basic animal
exercise to generate the greatest range of benefits.
survival functions like fighting, feeding, fleeing and
2. Have meeting rooms equipped with treadmills instead of a reproductive behavior.
conference table. Then encourage everyone to use these
3. The cortex or “human brain” – which layers over the other two
rooms for meetings where people use the treadmill while they
brains and lies just beneath the skin on the head. Different
are discussing things. While this may sound like a radical
regions of the cortex handle speech, vision, memory, etc.
idea, such a set up would substantially boost creativity levels
and attention spans. It would also mean meetings would be Due to evolution, humans are able to communicate with each
short and get to the point quickly. other. This allows us to establish alliances where we work
together to achieve some shared goal which would be beyond
“Business leaders already know that if employees exercised the physical abilities of anyone acting alone. This capacity
regularly, it would reduce health-care costs. But exercise also should not be underestimated. The fact we form relationships –
could boost the collective brain power of an organization. Fit like that of a teacher and a pupil – places humans at a huge
employees are capable of mobilizing their IQs better. For advantage over all other species who have a less complete
companies whose competitiveness rests on creative intellectual vocabulary. It has allowed humans to grow from a few hundred to
horsepower, such mobilization could mean a strategic a collective body of roughly 7 billion at the present time. It’s also
advantage. That’s worth investigating.” why we can look forward to a bright future.
– John Medina
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Brain Rules 3 Wiring Brain Rules 4 Attention Span

Every brain on the planet is wired a little differently from others. We don’t pay attention to boring things, and we can only ever pay
That means everyone learns their own way. If you cannot allow attention to one thing at a time. Forget about trying to multi-task.
for this flexibility, your cognitive abilities are not fully utilized. It can’t be done. Pay attention to what you’re doing.

Studies have now shown definitively when we learn something, In practice, you have about ten minutes to capture a person’s
the wiring in our brain changes. As we continue to learn new attention. If they’re not emotionally engaged in the subject at
things, the brain is constantly rewiring itself to store this hand by that stage, their mind will wander to other more
information as effectively as possible. What is really astonishing interesting topics like “How can I extract myself from this boring
to contemplate, however, is the fact every brain on the planet is situation?”
wired a little differently from all others. The changes which occur There are four practical ideas which have direct relevance and
in the human brain from birth right through until death have been interest in this field:
described as one of the “most remarkable construction projects
1. Emotions always get our attention – or put differently events
on Earth”.
which arouse our emotions are far more likely to be
The fact everything you do in life physically changes what your remembered than neutral events. If you want people to keep
brain looks like and alters your neural wiring to some extent is paying attention to what you’re saying, you need to interject
highly significant from a business perspective: some elements into your material that will engage the
n It makes no sense to treat everyone the same. People are emotions. This may be a story or something similar.
inherently hardwired to respond differently to the same offer. 2. We always look for meaning before we start worrying about
This suggests business offers should be individualized for picking up on the finer details – which means the best way to
rather than assuming one-size-fits-all. get a point across is to provide a context or key idea first and
n There’s actually more than one type of human intelligence, then layer on additional details around a logic framework
and accordingly there’s more than one way for people to act rather than the other way around. When you plunge into
intelligently or otherwise. Don’t expect everyone to be able to details first, people aren’t sure of the relevance of the
jump through the same hoops but build in some flexibility, respective points. Always provide a mental framework first.
especially when it comes to evaluating employee 3. Regardless of what you’ve heard, the human brain simply
performance. cannot multitask – it always works sequentially. We might
n Rejig your recruitment processes to allow for a wider range of jump quickly from one task to another and give the
variability in skill sets. The conventional view of competence impression of multi-tasking but in reality we’re devoting
may be too narrow to be of any practical use in screening attention to each task individually rather than a number of
potential new hires. tasks in parallel. One study has shown people using
The uniqueness of each person’s brain wiring also has important cellphones while driving, for example, are nine times more
ramifications for the education industry at large. The current likely to crash than those who are not.
school system is basically founded on a series of expectations 4. The brain needs timed interruptions – it needs to take a break
that by a certain age, specified learning goals should be every so often. It’s impossible to force feed too much
achieved. The reality is students of the same age have a wide information at once because the brain will naturally stop
range of variability, and these differences can result in receiving new ideas and take the time to process what it has
profoundly different levels of classroom performance. To allow already taken in.
for this, changes need to be made in the childhood education Taking these practical ideas into consideration, there are a few
system. Some suggestions: things you can do to enhance your effectiveness when delivering
n Smaller class sizes will go a long way towards creating the information of any kind to others:
customized learning environments different students require. n Structure your material into 10-minute segments with each
Teachers can get to know how students are responding to segment covering a single core concept which is explained in
learning activities individually and can then tailor those the first minute. The other nine minutes are then spent
learning activities to fully engage each student rather than the providing a detailed description of that big idea.
other way around.
n Near or at the end of each 10-minute segment, provide an
n As for commercial transactions, it makes sense to create emotional hook which introduces the next big idea you want to
instructions which are more individualized, even within the talk about. This hook has to be so emotionally engaging the
same grade level. Artificial intelligence is now sufficiently listener will figuratively blast through the 10-minute barrier
advanced to be able to determine with some degree of and become fully engaged again. Suitable hooks include
accuracy where any student’s competencies lie. Gaps in anecdotes, case studies with a twist or amusing asides.
education can then be addressed on an individual level rather
n Ensure everyone is concentrating fully on what is being
than hoping students will take it upon themselves to seek
presented. Make the learning environment interruption-free –
additional help. This is somewhat cart-before-the-horse
no e-mail, phones, instant messaging or BlackBerry devices.
thinking because students who aren’t even aware of their
respective gaps are hardly likely to seek out help in areas they By winning the battle for your audience’s attention every ten
aren’t even aware they are weak in. Systems need to be minutes, you can avoid the boredom trap and get messages
developed which ensure each student’s learning gaps are across.
filled appropriately.
 Brain Rules - Page 4

Brain Rules 5 Short-Term Memory Brain Rules 6 Long-Term Memory

The human brain can only hold about seven pieces of If you want to remember something, remember to repeat your
information for 30-seconds at a time. Therefore, to learn exposure to it periodically. It takes years for the human brain to
something, repeat it over and over. Embed what you want to consolidate a memory so stick with it.
know through repetition.
The process of converting short-term memories into long-term
The human brain has multiple types of memory systems. Some memories is called “consolidation”. For consolidation and
involve a conscious decision to try and remember something therefore learning to occur, repetition is required. In fact,
whereas others are more awareness of an experience. The type repeated exposure to the same piece of information can be
of memory which is deliberately programmed is termed considered as the “fixative” that makes long-term memory work.
“declarative memory”. Scientists have loosely classified the human brain’s information
To get some specific fact into your declarative memory, four retrieval systems into two generalized models:
steps are involved: 1. The library model – where memories are stored in organized
1. The piece of information must be encoded – information shelves and an internal librarian of sorts goes through the
much be reformatted into a code your mind is capable of shelves until just the right fact is retrieved.
remembering. Everyone has their own preferred method of 2. The “Sherlock Holmes” model – where a request to recall
encoding. Information that is elaborate, meaningful and something triggers a small internal detective who sorts
contextual is generally the easiest to recall. through what has been stored and brings to mind anything
2. Next, the information must be stored in a specific part of your which is a match.
brain – with signals from different sensory sources each Numerous studies have now shown both these models are
being stored in their own sections of the brain. partially correct and both are also at times inadequate. It appears
3. The information must be retrieved – hopefully on-demand information which goes into our working memories is best
when a comparable situation arises. retrieved by a librarian but as time goes by, our brain tends to
4. Some kind of forgetting mechanism must exist – to allow data switch to more of a Sherlock Holmes style. That has its good
which is no longer of any use to be purged from your brain to points and its bad points. The Sherlock Holmes style is probably
make room for new information. the most efficient but the brain is perfectly happy to insert false
information to come up with a coherent story later in life.
How the human brain manages to keep track of all the
information which comes to it every day is still something of a The only way information can be reliably placed into long-term
mystery, but some facets of this process are known: memory is by repetition, doled out at specific intervals. If you
want to recall something, you need to deliberately re-expose
n When you’re trying to drive a piece of information into your
yourself to the piece of information in fixed, spaced intervals. It
brain, the logical starting point is to make certain you get the
also helps if you have someone else you can work in with to
meaning right at the outset. Memorizing some disjointed fact
elaborate and go over what you’re trying to remember together.
by rote is highly inefficient. If you can explain adequately why
it’s important to remember some fact, you’re well on the way to So what does this mean for businesses? If you were to set up an
remembering it in the future. Or if you can embed some ideal training program using this brain rule to best effect, instead
real-life and practical examples into the information itself, it of segmenting a learning day into five or six hours where people
will become more vivid and therefore easier to recall. sit and listen, it would be better to structure training sessions like
this:
n The human brain is excellent at recognizing patterns. New
information which can be matched up to information which is n Split your learning materials into 25-minute modules.
already deeply embedded in the brain is easier to recall. If you n Teach three modules with a 5-minute gap between each.
emphasize the similarities and differences between old and n Then repeat the three modules in sequence for another
new information, it will generally be easier to recall the new 90-minute exposure.
information at a later time.
n Finally repeat the three modules a third time so all three
n If you can create an absolutely compelling introduction, you modules are taught right through the same day.
increase the chances the listener will remember what you’re
n Reserve every third or fourth day for a “review session” where
saying. The settings in which we are exposed to some piece of
students have a chance to inspect their notes, think about
information for the first time forms an unbroken link to that
what has been taught, ask questions and correct errors.
memory. Memorable occasions are recalled easily while the
mundane is much more difficult to remember. n Set up a cycle where the facts presented will be reviewed at
regular intervals. The optimal spacing of these review
n Your physical environment can have a huge impact on the
sessions would be industry specific as this would also be an
amount of learning which takes place and the subsequent
opportunity to present new information which encapsulates
recall of specific pieces of information at a future time. Present
recent advances made in that field.
information in a dramatic or tailored environment and it will be
remembered. In simple terms if you’re trying to train n Supplement these review sessions by holding periodic
mechanics, give them instruction in a workshop where they refresher courses where researchers currently active in the
will work in the future. That way every time they enter that field meet with business professionals face to face. The
environment, they will be bombarded with small sensory hints researchers can talk about what they’re working on and the
which will help them remember things. professionals can share how these issues are impacting their
various day-to-day responsibilities.
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Brain Rules 7 Sleep Brain Rules 8 Stress

The more you sleep, the better your brain works because it has Long-term stress is bad because it dilutes your ability to think
more time to arrange what you’ve learned. If you can nap while clearly. Do everything you can to minimize stress. Stress in one
working, you’ll be able to think even more clearly. part of life always spills over into all other parts as well.

Despite the fact humans spend almost one-third of their lives Severe and chronic stress can cause all kinds of degradation in
sleeping, researchers still don’t know why we need to sleep. The workplace performance. This is because your brain’s natural
only thing that is known is that while you sleep, your brain is response to stress is to instruct your body to release adrenaline
incredibly active. It is believed the brain replays what you’ve into your blood stream. Adrenaline is very useful if you need to
learned that day and then attempts to structure everything and face an immediate physical threat but it is of no real help when
store it away in memory. facing a hectic workplace, a looming job performance evaluation
Other than that, about the only other thing researchers know for or even the incessant demands of raising small children or
certain is that people vary in the amount of sleep they need to get balancing the family budget.
each day to feel good. The human brain is in a constant state of Ongoing stress can have some far-reaching implications:
tension between cells and chemicals which are trying to keep • Your immune system can become crippled.
you awake and different cells and chemicals which are • Your brain can think less clearly.
attempting to put you to sleep. How much sleep you ultimately • You will be unable to concentrate and learn new things.
get is regulated both by these internal forces and external • Your emotions will vary from one extreme to the other.
circumstances. • You’ll feel an overall loss of control.
Studies have also shown: • You’ll have a greater chance of stroke or heart attack.
• You can lapse into depression.
n Roughly 1-in-10 people are “early chronotypes” who do their
• You’ll have diminished mental dexterity.
best work in the early morning while 2-in-10 people are “late
chronotypes”. This second group is drowsy in the morning Overall, it is estimated stress causes companies to lose between
and tends to do their best quality work at about 6 p.m. $200 billion and $300 billion a year. One of the key drivers in this
figure is the fact so many times, stress in someone’s personal life
n A 30-minute afternoon nap considerably boosts productivity.
carries over into affecting their ability to function well as an
One NASA study in particular established a 26-minute nap
employee. Stress can never be compartmentalized – it affects all
improves a pilot’s performance by more than 34 percent.
other areas of life.
n If you allow people to sleep while contemplating a problem,
So what can be done about stress? One fact to keep in mind is
many of them come up with blinding flashes of inspiration on
the human response to stress is very uneven. Simply put, some
awakening. In most studies, those that sleep on a problem
people have a much higher tolerance for stress than others.
outperform those who do not about 3-to-1.
These fortunate few have a genetic predisposition to be buffered
n Soldiers have about a 30 percent loss in cognitive skills and against the majority of the effects of stress. The bulk of the
overall performance when forced to be on duty for a night population, however, finds stress to be an entirely negative
without any sleep. That figure rises to 60 percent if they are factor. To try and offset the effects of stress:
forced to forego two nights sleep in a row.
n Get parents more involved in structuring the early childhood
In all, it is now safe to say sleep is widely recognized as an education of their children. Ideally, education for life should
integral part of any learning experience. It is also estimated sleep start at birth rather than leaving it to a formal education system
deprivation costs U.S. businesses alone more than $100 billion at age five or thereabouts. Train parents on how to teach their
in lost productivity each year. So what can you do about this? children from birth in the stability of the home setting.
n Make it possible for employees to work when they will perform n Workers tend to have their most creative ideas in the first few
best. Have variable work hours so the early risers and the late years after joining the work force. The only problem is these
risers can work when they feel best. Instead of sticking with a are also the years they are busy starting a family and
9-5 routine, provide much more flexibility in allowing establishing a home. Smart companies should offer free
employees to set their own work schedule. onsite child care so employees can be retained when they are
n Promote naps during the workday. Make it perfectly most likely to be valuable. It might also be useful to offer
acceptable for people to take one half-hour nap each day. counseling and support services for those employees who are
Some companies are even setting up sleep pods or other getting married. By lowering stress levels in the home, the
designated areas where employees can take a nap without worker can be more productive while at work.
being accused of goofing off. n Set up programs where your human relations people analyze
n Set up a mini-retreat where your entire team goes to work on systematically the amount of stress in your workplace. Assess
some intractable problem facing your business. On arrival, whether employees feel like they are in control and any
the first evening should be spent outlining the problem in feelings of powerlessness they might be experiencing. Come
detail. Let employees think about potential solutions up with workable strategies to offset any stresses which are
overnight while sleeping. Then hold a follow-up session the present in your organization. This may be something simple
next morning and further develop any ideas which may have like giving employees an opportunity to choose the work
come to mind. assignments they get or something similar. If you can
collaborate with people trained in this area, some very
worthwhile benefits may accrue.
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Brain Rules 9 Senses Brain Rules 10 Vision

The senses always work in unison. To remember more, embed Vision is the most powerful sense by a long way. Incorporate
more sensory clues into what you’re learning. Sight, sound, pictures into what you’re learning and you’ll remember 55% more
smell, touch and taste are catalysts to effective thinking. information. Pictures trump reading every time.

Your brain absorbs information about any event you experience Vision is far and away the dominant sense. It takes up around
by putting together a composite picture of all the sensory data half of your brain’s available resources. The paradox is,
which was received. Those bits of data are translated into however, we actually see with our brains rather than with our
electrical signals and then dispersed to separate parts of the eyes. Whenever we say we’re “seeing” something, we’re actually
brain for storage. The brain often reconstructs what has only seeing what our brain gives us “permission” to see.
happened later on and it’s then your perceptions take shape. Visual analysis involves many steps, not just one. In simplified
While an event is happening, there’s just too much data coming terms the process goes something like this:
in for the brain to be able to process everything in real time.
n The retina in our eyes assemble photons into small streams of
What does happen, however, is your brain relies on past information, kind of like a number of miniature movies.
experiences extensively to help you decide how to combine all
n The visual cortex section of our brain then processes these
the data which is being received. This means two people can
various streams. Some areas of the brain register motion,
experience exactly the same event and yet later on have entirely
others register color, still others respond only to diagonal lines
different perceptions. Some people are trained to give emphasis
and so forth. There are literally thousands of highly specific
to one aspect of the experience whereas others have more
parts of the brain which get involved in this processing.
awareness of a different dimension altogether.
n All of these streams of information are then combined
The human senses have evolved over time to work together in
together giving us a sense that we are seeing something.
unison and to supplement each other. Thus, if you’re trying to get
other people to remember what you’re trying to say, it’s sensible The fact all of this processing is happening in real time and
to stimulate as many senses as possible. By engaging several without any conscious effort on our part is a highly impressive
senses simultaneously, any learning experience can become feat. It would take multiple super computers to do something
instantly vivid and memorable. Numerous studies have shown comparable. Furthermore, the brain is perfectly capable of
enhanced recall gains of 11 percent or more when multisensory making things up as it goes along to compensate for missing
lessons are taught in all kinds of different settings. pieces of visual information. The brain is an active participant in
the visual experience rather than simply processing what comes
Smell seems to be a particularly important sense for the brain.
in without any embellishments.
Different smells seem to have an extraordinary power to bring
back memories of the past. It appears that smell signals in some The human brain typically devotes fully one-half of its available
way bypass most of the filtering that normally happens. Strong energy to processing visual stimuli. Perhaps this is one of the
smells can and do stimulate strong human emotions. reasons why a picture is worth a thousand words. Numerous
studies have confirmed people can still remember 90 percent of
So what does this mean for business? Some possibilities:
what they have seen several days later whereas they can only
n To state the obvious, appeal ing to multiple senses enhances remember 10 percent of what they have read. If a picture is
the effectiveness of any presentation. Provide as many included with text, the recall rate shoots from the 10 percent base
sensory clues as you can possibly pack in. Package whatever level to 65 percent or more.
you want to say as a multisensory experience and you’ll do
The implications of this for business?
better. Look for ways to integrate smell, touch and other
sensory clues into all your materials. n You should learn for yourself why pictures grab attention and
figure out how you can transfer more information to your
n Enhance your branding and make it sensory. Try using smell
clients using pictures rather than written materials.
to differentiate your brand in some way. If you can match a
scent with the hopes and needs of your target market, you can n Experiment with computer animations. Learn the basics and
enhance the personality of your brand. For example, the fresh make maximum use of this now well established technology.
smell of a rainforest or even the salty odor of sea air may n Figure out practical ways you can use less text and more
evoke in potential SUV buyers more of a sense of adventure pictures in everything you do.
than the usual new car smell.
n Throw away your current PowerPoint presentations with all
n Consider creating an in-house learning environment which is their neat lists of bullet points. Develop new ones which have
genuinely multisensory. Use techniques like linking specific lots and lots of pictures. Do some back-to-back testing if you
background smells with different topics and measure whether want. You’ll find your picture-based presentations will
that statistically enhances recall at later stages. Go beyond outperform your old text-based presentations by a substantial
the usual standards of being able to handle just written, audio margin.
and visual materials and instead interject learning apparatus
n Test the power of images in all your lines of business. Find
that can stimulate the other senses. If this can generate gains
pictures which communicate what you’re trying to say. Work
of 11 percent or more in recall performance, that may be able
out how to put your message across in picture form rather
to form the basis of a nice competitive advantage for your firm.
than in the text-based materials you’ve been using until now.
If you combine this with structured learning sequences as
Don’t try and ignore the visual juggernaut but get with it and
previously mentioned, even greater gains are feasible.
make maximum use of it.
 Brain Rules - Page 7

n In speaking about what can and cannot be proven, it’s also

Brain Rules 11 Gender worth mentioning in passing the often quoted debate about
left-brain versus right-brain is also something of a folk tale
Male and female brains are different. They process emotions in
rather than scientific fact. Many people use this distinction to
different ways. To help people learn more, pay attention to the
highlight the difference between thinking analytically and
emotional content of what you’re saying and tailor it.
thinking creatively. The inescapable reality is both sides of the
brain are involved in thinking. To say only one side of the brain
It will come as no surprise to anyone to learn that men’s and is being used at a time is the equivalent of suggesting an
women’s brains are different in both structural and biochemical ocean liner uses it’s left side to keep afloat while the right side
terms. This is, however, more than simply believe men comes is responsible for propulsion. Obviously both sides of the boat
from Mars and women come from Venus. There are actually are involved in both processes. So too both hemispheres of
some solid scientific reasons for this difference: the brain are intimately involved in thinking. The right side of
the brain tends to see the big picture or gist of the situation
n Males have one X chromosome, females have two. Scientists
while the left side tends to remember the details but both
now know the X chromosome carries an unusually large
contribute to the overall thinking process.
percentage of the genes involved in brain manufacture. X
chromosomes carry about 1,500 genes whereas Y So this all sounds interesting but what are the implications for the
chromosomes contain less than 100 genes. It takes 46 real world?
chromosomes (twenty-three from your mother and n Always keep in mind the fact emotions are useful. They make
twenty-three from your father) to make your DNA. the brain pay attention. Admittedly, men and women process
n Females are more genetically complex than males. Males certain emotions differently. Without any doubt, there is some
take almost all of their genes from their mother’s kind of dynamic between nature and nurture when it comes to
X-chromosome whereas females take some genes from their emotions but the central fact is dealing with emotions should
mother’s X-chromosome and some from their father’s not be glossed over lightly.
X-chromosome. That ensures females are a complex mosaic n Pay careful attention to group dynamics when working with
whereas males are more of a carbon copy of an existing mixed audiences. Women will usually prefer a participatory
combination. This is especially true in terms of brain function style where they can express some “me too” kinds of
because the majority of the genes in the X-chromosome comments. Men, by contrast, will naturally revert to a verbal
govern how we think. version of one-upmanship. They will engage in a “top this if
n Not only are men’s and women’s brains different from a you can” style of conversation. If you want to influence
genetic perspective but there are also structural and decision makers of either gender, provide lots of well aligned
biochemical differences as well. For example, there are opportunities to engage in their preferred style.
differences in what are called the frontal and prefrontal cortex n When forming teams to achieve project aims, ensure there
areas of the brain which control decision making. There are are both competent men and women on the team. The
also differences in other areas which affect the emotions – women will be good at the details while the men will excel at
with one interesting aside being the area of the brain which having the big picture perspective. Both these points-of-view
controls emotions is actually larger in men than in women. are useful and if you have a team which can simultaneously
This startling fact runs counter to all kinds of existing social handle both, it stands to reason the team will perform well.
thinking about the relative abilities of males and females to
n Create a work environment where gender differences are
feel and use emotions. What the practical implications of
celebrated rather than marginalized. Teach people how to
those differences are is still debatable, however, and is the
best take advantage of what they bring to the organization and
subject of a number of ongoing studies. Nothing can be
purposefully exploit those differences for maximum effect. At
proven yet with any degree of scientific rigor.
the very least, ensure that both men and women have a hand
n Translating these basic anatomical differences into in making important decisions for your company. Don’t
generalizations about gender-specific behavior is highly dismiss either perspective as being of lesser value but
controversial. Once again, nothing which is science-based harness both gainfully.
has yet been established. About all that is known in this area
as yet is some statistical patterns. It can be shown mental “Girls begin to talk and to stand on their feet sooner than boys
retardation is more common in males than in females across because weeds always grow up more quickly than good crops.”
the entire population. When placed under stress, men tend to – Martin Luther (1483-1546)
notice the overall gist of the experience whereas women tend
“If they can put a man on the moon...why can’t they put them all
to notice and remember small details. Females develop better
there?”
verbal skills earlier in life and generally stay better at this than
– Jill (graffiti on a bathroom wall in
men throughout their entire lives. Girls use those verbal skills
1985, in response to Luther’s quote)
to build their relationships with each other whereas boys tend
to prefer doing things with their friends for the glue which “There may well be differences in the way men and women think
cements their relationships. Whether these statistical about some things. But when people hear about measurable
patterns are the result of nature or nurture is still to a large differences, they often think scientists are talking about
extent unknown. Numerous theories and superficial or individuals such as themselves. That’s a big mistake. When
simplistic linkages abound, but nobody has yet carried out any scientists look for behavioral trends, they do not look at
studies which provide definitive proof one way or another. individuals. They look at populations. Trends emerge, but there
Making any kind of assumptions in this field is therefore are often variations within a population.”
asking for trouble. – John Medina
 Brain Rules - Page 8

The inbuilt instinct to explore and learn generates some

Brain Rules 12 Exploration interesting possibilities for the world of commerce:
Humans are natural explorers. We love to hypothesize, n Try following the Google model of creativity. Allow every
experiment, observe and then reach conclusions on our own. To employee to spend 20 percent of their time exploring anything
use this, incorporate exploration into what you present. they like. Google has found fully 50 percent of its new
products have come from this “20 percent time”.
n Set up an in-house laboratory where employees can try new
Babies have a natural thirst for knowledge. Since they can’t read
and different things. Perhaps this will be an adult version of
or even speak yet, they learn by active testing. They try all kinds
the sandbox, or it may be more akin to a university
of different things and become instinctive explorers. In fact, if you
environment. Regardless, signal to everyone that
have the chance to observe infants, you’d soon notice:
experimentation is not only welcome but actively encouraged.
n Babies are born with incessant curiosity. They always want to
n Give new hires exposure to challenging real world situations.
understand the world around them and this compels them to
Let people learn on the job as far as possible rather than being
explore far and wide.
locked away in a sterile training facility. Let people get their
n Babies are preoccupied with physical objects. They’ll kick hands dirty as soon as feasible.
various objects, bite them, stick them in their mouth, pull them
n Get new hires involved in your cutting-edge projects. By all
apart – they’ll do hands-on experiments to figure out what
means partner them with more experienced people but inject
things do. This often means they end up breaking what they’re
some novel thinking into what you’re attempting to do. Expose
trying to figure out.
new people to those who are actively engaged in shaping the
n As random as a baby’s actions may appear, they often future of your business.
approach their exploration tasks in a scientific fashion. Adults
n Encourage anyone and everyone you work with to be
would say they are:
insatiably curious about how things work and why. Never let a
• Making an initial sensory observation.
sense of wonder get lost in the rush of the day-to-day grind.
• Forming a hypothesis about what is happening here.
Make it not only acceptable but also desirable for adults to act
• Designing a simple experiment to test that hypothesis.
like kids now and then.
• Drawing conclusions from what they observe.
• Changing behavior as a result of those observations. “The greatest Brain Rule of all is something I cannot prove or
n The older babies become, the more sophisticated their characterize, but I believe it with all my heart. It is the importance
experiments also generally become. By about age 2, for of curiosity. I wish classrooms and businesses were designed
example, babies start experimenting with social phenomena. with the brain in mind. If we started over, curiosity would be the
They will begin doing things their parents have specifically most vital part of both demolition crew and reconstruction. I am
forbade them to do in order to test the limits and see how their very much in favor of both.”
parents react. – John Medina
Scientists are just starting to unravel which parts of the brain are “Though we know precious little about how the brain works, our
involved in these early childhood experiments. They have evolutionary history tells us this: The brain appears to be
determined, thus far, the right prefrontal cortex looks for errors in designed to solve problems related to surviving in an unstable
any hypothesis while an adjoining region (the anterior cingulate outdoor environment, and to do so in nearly constant motion. I
cortex to be specific) figures out what needs to change to take call this the brain’s performance envelope. The twelve Brain
into account this new information. In many ways, research with Rules relate to this performance envelope. Motion translates to
babies who are uncontaminated by years of other experiences is exercise. Environmental instability led to the extremely flexible
leading the way as the scientific community is working to unravel way our brains are wired, allowing us to solve problems through
more and more secrets of the brain. exploration. Learning from our mistakes so we could survive in
What is encouraging is adults never outgrow their natural thirst the great outdoors meant paying attention to certain things at the
for knowledge. Our learning abilities don’t necessarily need to expense of others, and it meant creating memories in a particular
deteriorate or change as we age. In fact, all of us can remain way. Though we have been stuffing them into classrooms and
lifetime learners. Our intellectual prowess doesn’t need to cubicles for decades, our brains actually were built to survive in
diminish with age. If anything, we should get better with more jungles and grasslands. What do these studies show, viewed as
experience about what works and what does not. a whole? Mostly this: If you wanted to create an education
Once upon a time, it was believed people were born with all the environment that was directly opposed to what the brain is good
brain cells they would ever possess in their lifetimes. Nobody at doing, you probably would design something like a classroom.
believes that any more. Research has definitively proven people If you wanted to create a business environment that was directly
of any age can grow new neural connections, strengthen their opposed to what the brain was good at doing, you probably
existing networks and create new neurons. Encouragingly, those would design something like a cubicle. And if you wanted to
new neurons have the same plasticity and flexibility as those change things, you might have to tear down both and start over.
present in newborns. There is no age limit or use-by-date on our In many ways, starting over is what the Brain Rules are all about.”
inherent ability to explore the world around us. – John Medina

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