A Surprising Neuroscience Study Comes Hot Off the Press

and How Hearing Aid Research Could Help Your Conversations

Author

Chris Miller
June 22, 2023

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Read Time: 3 minutes

Hello! & welcome to another day of opportunity where people are improving little by little (especially me) 🧩

Let’s get straight to it. Here’s what’s on the menu today:

đź“‘ News: A hot off the press neuroscience study has an unexpected finding

🏫 A Harvard book that changed my life

đź’ˇ Leaving a job? Be optimistic.

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🧠 News: Turns out our brain encodes several conversations at once

Ever thought about how we’re able to have a conversation in a loud concert hall? Or a crowded party that’s in a small living room with loud obnoxious music?

A study just recently done at Columbia University was able to provide some answers to this. It turns out that our brains are processing several conversations happening around us AT THE SAME TIME.

Furthermore, our brain communicates what we’re looking at to our auditory cortexes so that we know what to hear better. So there’s a reason why you can hear that quiet voice in the loud ballroom.

It’s a fascinating study - and I’m doing a terrible job explaining it - so you can read a short article about it below!

🏫 A Harvard book that changed my life

In college, I got 4 books assigned for one conflict and negotiation class. I wasn’t crazy about that idea because I was a broke college student.

One of these books was Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen.

When I say this book changed my life, I MEAN IT. But I wanted to share with you a breakdown that someone made of this book. It’s only a few points, and it’s a millimeter of what this book has to offer, but it is a great start.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

💡 If you’re leaving - you may as well be optimistic

In grad school I wrote my Masters thesis on presidential farewell speeches. I essentially studied how the people at the highest office of the land said goodbye.

I learned that one commonality of the great farewell addresses was optimism.

Even if they only served one term, failed to get reelected, or even were pushed out of office, their optimism encouraged their audience.

And I think this applies to all of us, not just the Commander in Chief.

Next time you part ways with a company, a relationship, or a neighborhood - be optimistic on your way out.

👨‍💻 I Got You Covered!

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Thanks for reading.

See you next time!

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