Natural Human Instinct or Behaviour (9) cont.
1. Emotions Before Reason

Introduction
Information is first processed by emotions; this means the amygdala - handles emotion, ie flight, fight or freeze - gets the information before the prefrontal cortex (thinking part of the brain); consequently, you are judgemental based on your feeling to make sense of the information, ie you tend focus on the negative impact and assume the worst.
This instinct explains why"
"...- we jump to conclusions
     - the meanings we attach to other people and they do us is based on emotion
     - people are predictably irrational
     - we produce more on days of positive emotions..."
Andrew O'Keeffe, 2011
NB The brain's default position of processing information works from the negative scenario first. We are wired the first screening pain and danger; this is a survival mechanism.
If we were rational, we would withhold judgement until we knew more information.
We are primarily emotional, ie 
"...the basis on which we make sense of our world and the way in which we make decisions is overwhelmingly emotional..."
Andrew O'Keeffe, 2011
However, we tend to think of ourselves as rational beings; this assumption both
"...misleads us in our thinking about people and limits of our effectiveness as leaders..."
Andrew O'Keeffe, 2011
Effective operators are acutely aware of the primacy of our emotions and use the role of emotion in how they operate and relate to others.
NB
"...the meaning we attach to words, to other people, to places and to our experiences reflects the emotion that these words, places and people generate for us. Without emotion there is no meaning......this process by which we create meaning is termed imprinting. Imprinting occurs on the first occasion we experience a person, a word, an activity or a place. From the first experience we start to create meaning and if the second and subsequent experience is similar to the first then the meaning is consolidated and unlikely to change..."
Andrew O'Keeffe, 2011
Furthermore, there is a link between reasoning, emotions, feelings and decisions.
"...The parts of the brain involved in emotion and decision-making are generally involved in social cognition and behaviour. In short, emotions and feelings are part of a normal, healthy brain and a normal, socially adjusted individual..."
Andrew O'Keeffe, 2011
Parts of the brain are important:
- the ventromedial prefrontal cortices are important for both reasoning/decision-making and emotion/feeling, especially in the personal and social domain; in addition, the amygdala can be involved.
- the somatosensory cortices in the right hemisphere impact reasoning/decision-making and emotion/feelings; this area is also important for processing basic body signals.
NB
Reasoning is a goal-orientated thinking process; decision-making is the response selection, where the main focus is on personal and social domain, ie
"...our humanness involves this automatic interweaving of reasoning, decision-making, emotions and feelings..."
Andrew O'Keeffe, 2011
Everyday life involves gaining bits of information as events unfold. Based on this information, we develop hunches, ie gut feelings, we steer away from losses, ie loss aversion and a favouring of reward over punishment; don't forget the unconscious processes that can be involved
"...the frontal lobe plays a key role in the function of choice in humans. The part of the brain that connects reasoning and emotion plays a significant part in making choices about consequences of future possibilities..."
Andrew O'Keeffe, 2011
There is a predictable pattern in how people process and respond to their daily events, ie perception-emotions-motivation-output cycle:
i) perception (people perceive the meaning of the event, ie sense-making and classifying)
ii) emotion (making sense of the event on how it made you feel)
iii) motivation (if the emotion is positive, this illicits motivation; however, if the emotional reaction is negative, then motivation is reduced)
iv) performance outcomes (a change in motivation can affect productivity, creativity, collegiality, commitment to work, etc)
"...a positive work experience lifts one's creativity by 50%......this positive impact on creativity can continue for 2 days..."
Teresa Amabile et al as quoted by Andrew O'Keeffe, 2011
NB  The 'perceptions-emotions-motivation-output cycles' are constantly impacted by what is happening around us; the challenge for management is to make the cycle a positive one, ie enable people to make progress in their daily work. Enabling managers have the following characteristics:
"...- set clear goals (what is expected and why it matters)
     -  provide adequate resources and time for people to do their job
     - remove barriers that hinder people
     - provide feedback from learning perspective (not blame perspective)
    - give sincere appreciation for the work people do well..."
Andrew O'Keeffe, 2011
The action of management can have a major influence on a person's energy and output, ie whether the flow is positive or negative.
Laughter
As most people laugh when they feel safe and secure, it is a good sign if everyone is often laughing; it can be used as a measure of of a group's well-being.
Fear
The opposite of laughter is fear; this can be created by an intimidating superior.
"...Intimidation causes weaker individuals to seek protection and reassurance..."
Andrew O'Keeffe, 2011
Summary
"...the primary role of the emotions is just the start of the story on how we process information..."
Andrew O'Keeffe, 2011
Remember
- Our brains are wired to process emotions before reason
- Emotions are an important part of functioning in terms of social skills and decision-making
- People's opinions of management and their organisation is based on emotions and is rarely neutral
- At times of positive motivation, people have higher outputs and creativity
To change a person's point of view, you need to handle the emotional attachment to that point of view, rather than just being logical and rational in your argument.