What's Your Emotional Style? Part 2

Neuroscientist Richard Davidson has found six elements that comprise his “Emotional Styles” framework. In the first part of this article I discussed the first three: Self-Awareness, Resilience, and Social Intuition.

Through state-of-the-art methods like functional MRI, or fMRI, and sophisticated analysis of EEG data, Davidson has discovered that specific networks in the brain interact to shape our emotional responses.

The extent to which of these brain networks activate contributes to our total emotional style.

These brain styles also offer insights into the development of emotional intelligence competencies. The remaining Emotional Styles include Context Sensitivity, Outlook, and Attention.

Context Sensitivity

On a good day, one where we are humming along productively and work is going smoothly, a surprise visit from a superior will be unlikely to trigger intense anxiety. But if the day is going poorly – problems piling up as deadlines draw near – that same visit might well put us even more on edge. What changed was the context, not the event itself: we respond to the same thing in different ways depending on surrounding circumstances. Some people are naturally adept at this context effect, while others are oblivious. The brain area that influences how sensitive we are to context is the hippocampus. The more active the key circuitry in our hippocampus, the more “tuned in,” or sensitive we will be to shifts in context. In contrast, someone with lower activation in that circuitry won’t notice shifts in context – that’s the person who tells an off-color joke at a business meeting that’s more appropriate for having a beer with buddies.

Business is dynamic, with contexts shifting rapidly several times a day, if not more often. As contexts change, leaders should be able to gauge these shifts and alter their response – and how appropriate they are being. A challenge today may be the same challenge tomorrow, but if the business needs or team members have shifted, how does that alter your emotional response to it? There may be added urgency, which makes it more stressful, but an effective leader won’t misdirect that stress toward their employees.

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Outlook

People tend to have either a positive or negative outlook, which Davidson’s research links to circuitry connecting the prefrontal cortex and the nucleus accumbens, a part of the lower brain found in an area called the ventral striatum. Together this brain network makes up a large proportion of the reward circuitry, which motivates us to a large extent. Greater activity from the prefrontal cortex signals across to the ventral striatum, which conjures the sense of satisfaction. The anticipation of reward helps keep us motivated and resilient, inspiring what we experience as a positive outlook: success is possible. Conversely, as activity across the ventral striatum declines, so too does the motivation for reward, as well as the belief that a goal can be achieved, leading to a negative outlook.

Blind optimism does a leader little good, while a leader who always assumes the worst will be ineffective at motivating their team. If the message is always: "this isn't going to go well," what reason is there to try? However, managers who are confident in their abilities and believe their team is capable have reason to maintain a Positive Outlook: challenges can be overcome, and goals can be achieved.

Attention

The ability to selectively focus our attention is something we all struggle with; there are days when distraction comes easily and focus is hard to maintain. But sharp attention enhances performance of any kind Activity in key circuits of the prefrontal cortex underlies the ability to keep our attention on a given task in the face of countless distractions. Davidson’s group measures how this waxes and wanes by monitoring a neuronal impulse called the “P300.” When moderate, this signal correlates with the ability to filter out what’s irrelevant and to stay focused. The closer the P300 signal gets to either the high or low extreme, the more focus starts to waver as we become distracted. The dimension here, then: focused to scattered.

Business, like the rest of life, demands focus. Take, for example, the high-level goal of generating return for shareholders. Staying focused on the activities you need to achieve such strategic goals makes leaders – and the companies they manage – productive. Focus also helps leaders manage their time and, of course, their attention. Every email can't be answered as it comes in – otherwise vital, strategic work would be fractured and incomplete. By focusing on priorities, leaders can keep themselves and their teams effectively pointed in the right direction.

I collaborated with Richard J. Davidson in writing Altered Traits. Together we examined how mindfulness and other kinds of meditation amount to mind training: they shape and change connections in the brain, including those that underlie the six elements of emotional style. The research we reviewed shows that this mental fitness method literally changes the way your brain works. The brain circuitry that regulates these six emotional styles can be strengthened to develop a fuller, more productive styles profile. Think about your own leadership style, and what these elements contribute to it. Are there any that you'd like to improve? What would that mean to your team?

There are clear connections between these brain-based styles and the competencies of emotional intelligence. Self-Awareness and Positive Outlook are both brain styles and EI competencies. Resilience lies at the heart of the EI competencies Adaptability and Emotional Balance. The relationship competencies so crucial for effective leadership all rely to some extent on Social Intuition and Context Sensitivity. And Focus plays a role essential for the development of further strengths in any EI competence.

If you're ready to explore these concepts further, I recommend the following:

1. The Foundational Skills of Emotional Intelligence - a new facilitated virtual course in developing the competencies of EI alongside a cohort of fellow professionals.
2. Emotional Intelligence Coaching Certification - a comprehensive training experience that combines in-person gatherings, virtual learning, and ample coaching for those who seek to coach others in developing EI.