Are You Brain-dead Enough Yet?
Brain-dead? Blame your environment.
Creating Passionate Users has an interesting story [found on BizOps] that outlines how being in a non stimulating environment can actually cause physical structural damage to your brain!
And you just thought it was destroying your spirit to sit in that cube all day.
The story explains that animal research has always failed to show any regenerative ability in the brain, even though it was believed to be possible.
One of the most interesting (and, in hindsight, “doh!”) discoveries was that one of the main reasons researchers kept finding NO evidence of new neuron development in their test primates is because they kept them in an environment which shut that process down. In other words, it was the caged-living that stopped the neurogenesis process. By giving her animals a rich, natural enviornment, Gould “flipped the switch” back on, allowing their brains to work normally, and sure enough–the happier, more stimulated animals showed a DRAMATIC increase in neurogenesis as well as dendrite density.
Mmmm…last weekend was a long weekend and, of course, I spend the vast majority of it working on my business. There is a huge difference in my level of passion when I compare my work at my job and my work at my personal business. My wife described as me “being in my element.” It is obvious that working on my own business is more deeply rooted in a personal reward system…meaning I stand to benefit a lot more directly if the business succeeds.
But I can’t help but wonder, how much of it is related to all the unnecessary dogma imposed by the office structure. At my office, I have only a vague notion of whether it is light or dark outside. I work the same hours every day, take breaks at the same time every day, talk to the same people everyday and get rewarded pretty much the same for my efforts no matter what happens every day.
It makes sense that this environment would lead to a shutting down of brain cells…the body is just like that…very efficient, if you aren’t using it: it gets rid of it. Call it motivation for getting out of the Rat Race ASAP.
And, please remind me, if I ever succeed enough to have employees, not to do what is obvious and most efficeint and set up veal fattening pens for all my workers. Thanks.
“What do you call a sociopath in a cubicle? : (answer, a coworker)” Scott Adams