A bit of pop science: as our brains evolved, we kept some of the old bits. To over-simplify*, we have a primitive “lizard” brain that deals with fear and desire. We have a “chimp” brain, dealing with emotion and monitoring status in our social group. Then we humans added on the neo-cortex, the bit which business execs are supposed to use when weighing up the logic and reason behind an argument.
When you are planning a project, think how it could appeal to the different brains in your audience. Should you appeal to fear and desire, emotion and status or reason and logic?
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*Credit: Paul D. Maclean’s Triune Brain theory has been called into doubt in the last 20 years, described by one critic as “a good short-cut, elementary-level understanding of the brain, but pretty much useless once we get down to the nitty-gritty of brain function.” But we’re studying creative process here, not neuroscience, so it’ll do nicely as a conversation starter about your project.
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