Slow Brain - Fast Brain: Unlocking Human Potential through Modern Neuroscience

In Aesop’s fable, "The Tortoise and the Hare," we learn that slow and steady wins the race. This timeless story offers context in understanding how our brains work. Imagine for a moment, a snail trying to perceive the wing movements of a hummingbird. This 'speed of function' analogy can help us grasp the vast difference between our conscious thought processes and the lightning-fast operations of the rest of our brain.

The Slow Brain: Conscious Thought

Our conscious brain, much like the snail, moves deliberately and slowly. It is responsible for our deliberate actions, thoughtful decisions, and introspective moments. This part of the brain processes information at a pace we can perceive and control, allowing us to engage in complex reasoning, problem-solving, and planning.

The Fast Brain: Unconscious Processes

On the other hand, the rest of our brain operates at an astonishing speed, akin to the rapid wing beats of a hummingbird by comparison to our snails movements. These unconscious processes handle the vast majority of our sensory inputs, emotional responses, and predictive functions without us even being aware of them. These operations happen in milliseconds, making real-time decisions that keep us safe and functioning efficiently.

The Challenge of Self-Awareness

This brings us to a fundamental question: How can we expect to see and understand our reactions and behavioral patterns if doing so is like describing the mechanics of hummingbird wings while looking at them through snail eyes? The conscious brain is simply too slow to keep up with the fast brain, at least, on its own.

Technological Advances: Bridging the Gap

Fortunately, advances in technology, such as fMRI and PET scans, have revolutionised our understanding of the brain. These 'real-time' brain scanning methods allow us to observe the fast-paced machinations of the brain, making the invisible visible, the intangible, tangible ... for the first time in history. This technology has allowed us to comprehend the fast brain's operations and confirm what methods allow the slow conscious brain to influence the fast brain, so our automatic reactions can be improved over time.

A Game Changer in Human Understanding

For the first time in history, we have the knowledge required to prove how we can change the way our brain fires. This is a game changer for achieving improved quality of life, happiness, and a sense of value and worth in the world, regardless of material wealth or social standing. Historically, understanding the brain has been the domain of philosophy, psychology, and psychiatry. These fields, while valuable, often lacked the precision needed to truly understand the brain’s workings, that neuroscience delivers.

From Guesswork to Science

Until now, our level of understanding about how to change the brain could be described in two ways. Either using a hammer to crack a nut or bringing a knife to a gunfight i.e. our approaches to facilitate lasting change, in many walks of life, when seen through the neuroscience lens, are either a blunt instrument or wholly inadequate, relying on individual skill to achieve a favourable result, more than approaching the situation with the knowledge required from the start ... this includes education / training / coaching / change & transformation, in fact, it's often the case that the fact a nut even exists passes most people by. Focused on what is already known (understandably) they never give the workings of the brain, a second thought (pun intended).

However, advances in neuroscience has changed that game completely. We can now dissect the nut with laser precision. With over 25 years of study and 7000 hours of learning design, we now have frameworks like BTFA (Believe-Think-Feel-Act) that provide leaders a fast track to this critical knowledge. Understanding the BTFA framework allows leaders to apply it to their own approaches, maximising critical metrics like engagement, ownership, and accountability while reducing misalignment and resistance to change.

Conclusion: Embracing Neuroscience for Self-Awareness

Understanding the slow and fast brain dynamics is incredibly complex, but the rewards are immense. By leveraging modern neuroscience, we can achieve a higher level of self-awareness and control over our behaviors. This is strategically critical, as this knowledge empowers us to lead more fulfilling lives and become more effective leaders, driving both personal and organisational success. Embrace the insights provided by modern brain science and unlock your full potential today.

To embrace 'The New Normal' in Leadership development, use this link https://calendly.com/davidbovis/discuss-btfa to find a convenient time for a discovery session.

If you like this article and would like to keep track of the latest developments and thinking surrounding the subject of applied neuroscience, why not join us in the BTFA Group via this link https://www.dhirubhai.net/groups/9244355/

David holds a Masters in Applied Neuroscience and is the creator of the BTFA? model. He is a Partner in the company he established in 2013, Duxinaroe Ltd. His partner and co-producer of the BTFA Experience is Levent Türk (??Mr.BTFA??) . Levent is the former country president of Toyota (Turkey). Together they help leadership teams in SME's, Mid-Market and Corporate environments around the world, develop a working knowledge of neuroscience as it applies to and enhances / improves Culture, Strategy, Change and Performance improvement.

Going against the grain when working with wood or metal increases stress and reduces quality ... it's the same with people. When we stop working against nature / brain function and work with it, we reduce time to sustainable change, saving years of investment /cost, while delivering superior results.