Thursday, June 24, 2010

A Whole New Mind: Part Two
The rest of the book is divided into what Pink calls the six senses of R-Directed thinking.  They are high concept, high touch senses that can help develop the WHOLE new mind.  They are:
  1. Design
  2. Story
  3. Symphony
  4. Empathy
  5. Play
  6. Meaning
Chapter 4: Design is the complement to utility that makes the things around us not only work, but aesthetically pleasing.  One example is a toaster.  Walk down the small appliance aisle at Target or Lowe's and you'll notice that not only are their a wide assortment of reasonably priced toasters, but they are all designer.  I'm sure you'll see chrome ones, retro styles, and bright colors.  His reasoning is that you only use your toaster for a couple minutes a day, the other 99.9% of the time it's just sitting on your counter for you to look at.  So why shouldn't it be fun to look at? 

 
The remainder of the chapter talks about how design has crept into every facet of our lives.  Design isn't for just the rich and famous, but everyday people.  Even the low income housing here in downtown Nashville looks like a quaint subdivision with coordinating exterior colors and bright white trim.  Pink refers back to Target a lot, and their use of world renowned designers for their discount mass produced inventory. 

 
(Besides the photos and illustrations this book includes, another really cool thing is the Portfolio at the end of each chapter.  Behind the explanation of each of the six senses, he includes several exercises that can help you become more in tune with that sense.  It's worth buying the book just for that.)

 
Chapter 5: Story is a way for humans to make sense of the world.  If I were to ask you the plot of a movie you saw in 11th grade, you would probably be able to picture some things and give me an answer, but if I asked you a question about Geometry, something you studied all year in 11th grade, it may be harder to recall.  That's because our brains have an internal "story grammar" that help us understand the world through story.  We need things to have a beginning, middle, and an end and a way to connect all the parts in order for it to make sense and resonate in our minds. 

 
One example of how stories can be a matter of life or death is in medicine.  By simply diagnosing the symptoms a patient has, a doctor may be missing something important.  By listening to the patient, how they became injured, any factors leading up to that point can make a huge difference.  The example Pink used was the story of two postal workers who worked at the same location which incidentally had been exposed to Anthrax.  Both workers went to separate doctors and explained their symptoms, both mentioning the Anthrax.  The first man was treating only for his symptoms, sent home, and few days later died of Anthrax.  The second man, was administered tests, given antibiotics, treated for Anthrax, was kept in the hospital overnight, and survived.  The doctor of the survivor said she thought the man had pneumonia, but she listened to her patient and followed her instincts which ended up saving his life. 

 
Chapter 6: Symphony is another way of saying, seeing the whole picture.  This is probably my favorite of the six senses because i find myself thinking and saying this all the time.  "How does this fit into the big picture?"  "In the grand scheme of things is this going to matter?"  I find myself getting frustrated with people who fuss over minute details instead of looking at the big picture.  Pink talks about how the ability to draw usually means people use symphony. 

 
Symphony also relates to seeing relationships, crossing boundaries, inventiveness and making metaphors.

Chapter 7: Empathy is the act of putting yourself in someone else's shoes, and feeling what they feel.  It's different from sympathy because you're not just feeling sorry for them you are "feeling their pain".  Did you know that facial expressions are universal and Charles Darwin even wrote a very controversial book about how animals express emotion through facial expression?  In 1965, psychologist Paul Ekman conducted a study that proved facial expressions are products of nature rather than culture.  He showed photos of people making different facial expressions to other people all over the world.  From the bustling streets of Manhattan to the secluded tribes of New Guinea, all the people were able to come up with the same emotions based on the faces. 

Seven basic human emotions have clear facial signals: anger, sadness, fear, surprise, disgust, contempt, and happiness. 

There are many levels of facial expressions which are:

  • Full and Intense
  • Slight Expression- the first prickle of an emotion of failed attempt to hide an emotion
  • Partial Expression
  • Micro Expression - when a person is trying to hide their feelings
Another interesting fact, while men and women do technically have the same capacity for empathy, women are usually found to be more sensitive to the feelings of others.  In fact, when polled, both men and women say they feel more intimate, enjoyable, and nurturing in their friendships with females. 

Chapter 8: Play is emerging more and more as an important quality in life.  People are not just happy to have food to eat, and a roof over their head, but we also want to have fun.  This ideology is working it's way into the workforce as well...and why shouldn't it?  Aren't most of us more likely to work harder for a company and have more loyalty if we are having fun?  That's just my opinion. All i know if all work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy...and who wants to work with that. 

"Humor represents many aspects of the sophisticated thinking required in automated and outsourced time.  And just plain laughter can lead to joyfulness, which in turn can lead to greater creativity, productivity, and collaboration." 

Chapter 9: Meaning

2 comments:

Wen-Jang (Kenny) Jih said...

Paulina,
Would you be able to talk about how the message from this book can be applied to your field of mass comm? In general or in specific ways?

Wen-Jang (Kenny) Jih said...

I encourage you to reflect on what you read in the book and try to relate to your field of interest. After you finish reading the book, it's good to see if there's any implications of theory for your field of interest. When you do this, you are internalizing the knowledge and make it part of you.