Turn Up the Funny

Flipping our emotional switches, Part 2

We are getting closer to identifying the individual emotional switches in the brain. What might this imply for future strategies for managing our emotions?

If we are now getting a handle on fear, what’s next? What would be the best candidates for future emotional switches?

Anger: Again, to tamp it down. No good reason to turn this one up, right? (We already have social media for that.)

Empathy: Would be great if we had a whole industry focused on cranking this one up. Alternatively, if we could find the switch, this MIGHT be one that we would eventually manipulate against the subject’s will. Violent criminals, for example. But that is an EXTREMELY risky idea.

Sense of humor: If there was one switch a would personally like to see flipped on a vast portion of the population. Like anger, I think this one has been manipulated by social media and other forces. It would be great to find a way to bring it back.

How about the ability to turn up optimism? What if we could increase our sense of wonder?

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Eternity Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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About Phil 523 Articles
Phil Bowermaster is a nationally recognized author and speaker. He has more than 25 years experience writing about emerging technologies and the future. As co-host of the popular Internet radio series, The World Transformed, Phil has talked with leading scientists and technologists, best-selling authors, philosophers, filmmakers, artists, entrepreneurs and others who are shaping our understanding of the amazing era of transformation in which we live. Phil helps leaders and their organizations develop strategies for managing accelerating change. He shows how imagination, optimism, empathy, and humor can make all the difference in both understanding and making the most of the powerful currents of change we face.