When does Fact Become Fluff?

Over the past couple of decades, there has been an explosion in what we know about the human brain, what different brain cells do, what various brain networks do, how we can think more creatively.??

Much of this knowledge comes to us wrapped up in academic papers that…let’s face it… can be pretty hard to decipher.??

And herein lies the problem.??

Because to decode what scientists are actually saying in a way that is understandable for the rest of us requires a process of simplification that, if done well, can be very revealing. But if poorly done, it can very quickly turn fact…into fluff.??

A Fuzzy Boundary?

What makes it even more difficult is that the boundary between fact and fluff isn’t clear-cut, and it’s fuzzy. And so it can be tough to work out whether something is an honest simplification of the facts or an overstretched distortion of reality…or somewhere in-between. Annoyingly, it’s also these overstretched (but often catchy) soundbites that usually get the most traction and perpetuate through the ether at great speed, drowning out the honest facts.??

So how can you work out whether you are reading a meaningful fact about the brain? Or whether it’s hyped-up fluff that should be disregarded? In other words, how good is your fluff detector??

We are generally a trusting bunch of human beings - something essential to maintain a level of social cohesion in groups and in society as a whole. And this means that many of us are relatively bad at judging when a statement stretches the truth. What’s more, because written text is devoid of the non-verbal signals that people usually use to work out whether or not they are being duped, it makes it doubly difficult.??

Interesting, your mindset also makes a difference towards how good you are at detecting whether or not the truth is being stretched. For example, if you are distressed or anxious, you are often better at detecting deception than when you are in a happy mood. Or if you are someone who has a greater level of trust and belief that things will work out fairly (i.e. you have a higher than normal truth bias), then you are worse at detecting deception.??

The Necessities of Simplification?

Of course, simplification is absolutely essential. Take my statement above. It’s a simplification of the facts because if I were to state the absolute truth, there would be so many caveats in there, it would just be entirely incomprehensible, and you’d be running away, either bored to the teeth or overwhelmed by the complexity. And so it’s about finding the middle ground. The ground where we’re taking the very best that science has to offer and communicating it in an understandable way without all the unnecessary jargon and over-hype that gives neuroscience a bad name. It doesn’t need to SOUND cool. The brain already IS cool.??

What over-hyped statements about the brain have you come across that made you sigh in despair???

My latest one was reading about how we apparently “have three brains” and “we measure the head brain information through what we call IQ – our Intelligence Quotient.”....there’s my huge sigh!?

I would love to hear about examples you’ve come across!?

Thanks for reading this edition of the BrainUP newsletter; I hope you enjoyed the topic this week. Here are some ways to learn about insights and applications of neuroscience in business and your life:?

1. Visit our Learning Lab:

→?Get more resources ?to learn more about how brains work and how they are critical to organisational development.?

2. Join me for Live events - leave with practical applications of the sciences:?

→?Follow me on LinkedIn , where I post live event details and more on neuroscience and work. Live Events are always free to join.

3. Subscribe to receive more newsletters full of tips on how to level up your brain:?

→ Join the almost 6000 subscribers,?subscribe ?to receive weekly BrainUP newsletters.