‘Entrepreneurs excel when
they are in the discomfort zone’
Marc
Schoen, UCLA School of Medicine professor and author of Your Survival
Instinct Is Killing You: Retrain Your Brain to Conquer Fear and Build
Resilience talks to Amy Stupavsky about the need to curb our
overactive survival instinct. Read the article to know more.
What's the role of adaptability in modern life?
What's the role of adaptability in modern life?
As
a species, we are constantly exposed to stress. Countless times a
day, we hear people say, "I'm really stressed out, really
anxious." Some people manage it well, and others, not so well.
What is actually going on in the brain is a fear response—the
essence of our evolutionary survival mechanism.
Simply put, stress is a response to fear, and those who manage fear the best will ultimately be more adaptable and more likely to survive. My goal is to help people become much more resilient. Unfortunately, as a culture, we have become increasingly less resilient to change, stress and discomfort of any kind. At one time, the ability to avoid discomfort or danger had great survival value for us.
Nowadays, we're not exposed to real physical danger very often, but we overreact to perceived danger all the time, and we don't cope with these situations very well. The very mechanism that helped us survive as a species is now undermining us.
You write that our misbehaving survival instinct often manifests in physical and emotional maladies. How does this happen?
Simply put, stress is a response to fear, and those who manage fear the best will ultimately be more adaptable and more likely to survive. My goal is to help people become much more resilient. Unfortunately, as a culture, we have become increasingly less resilient to change, stress and discomfort of any kind. At one time, the ability to avoid discomfort or danger had great survival value for us.
Nowadays, we're not exposed to real physical danger very often, but we overreact to perceived danger all the time, and we don't cope with these situations very well. The very mechanism that helped us survive as a species is now undermining us.
You write that our misbehaving survival instinct often manifests in physical and emotional maladies. How does this happen?
To
manage our survival instinct, people develop maladaptive habits—
things like addictions, avoidance, overeating and phobias. But these
are only short-term 'solutions'; they don't solve the underlying
problem.
These habits just help us avoid discomfort in the near term. The more a culture is attuned to 'agitance factors' — which include issues of instant gratification, impatience and perfectionism, the more people get 'fired up', and the lower their resilience becomes.
These habits just help us avoid discomfort in the near term. The more a culture is attuned to 'agitance factors' — which include issues of instant gratification, impatience and perfectionism, the more people get 'fired up', and the lower their resilience becomes.
You
note that culturally, we are overly reliant on technology and
pharmaceuticals, and are plagued by obesity, depression, and other
chronic ailments. Have we created a 'perfect storm' of agitators?
I think so. Those agitance factors I mentioned—the need for instant gratification or to achieve perfection— speed us up, physically; they make us 'run hotter'. Over time, our discomfort threshold becomes lower and lower. Here's a quick example: people are inordinately fed up by inconsequential matters, such as waiting in line at the grocery store. That didn't happen 25 years ago; we didn't expect to get results or service right away.
People today are far more irritable. That's just a minor example, but on a larger scale, with multiple incidents like that happening, you get a whole system that is basically in overdrive.
You write about the importance of performing in the 'discomfort zone' in business. Is there something about the entrepreneurial attitude that makes a person better at managing discomfort?
An entrepreneur's ability to endure discomfort is a tremendous attribute. Many people can't deal with discomfort, so they avoid risk. An entrepreneur has to assume a lot of risk and remain in that discomfort zone. Those people who are ultimately able to manage their discomfort perform better and better under entrepreneurial conditions.
I don't think everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur; some people are just wired to operate under those conditions, whereas others do better in conditions where they can create the structure.
People can learn to change, but we essentially come into the world a certain way. Some people are very rebellious with structure — I was one of those people — and some people are more at ease with people telling them what needs to be done. But whether you're 'wired' one way or the other, everyone can benefit from learning to thrive under pressure.
What can leaders do to help their employees turn discomfort into successful action?
There are many things that can be done, beginning at the student level. Students should be taught to embrace challenge, rather than having a system that encourages them to avoid risk and loss. We need to give people practice in assuming risk, with less emphasis placed on success alone.
Working under pressure basically squelches the problem-solving part of the brain, and decisions become fear-based. We try to control and limit losses, rather than control our gains.
We expect people to perform under pressure more than ever, but sadly, few people have received training in how to perform under these conditions; most of us learn through trial and error.
Some people are naturally good at it, but about 60 per cent of people are not. The good news is, productivity and workplace happiness are both impacted significantly when leaders recognize the interplay between the survival mechanism and working under pressure.
(Reprinted, with permission, from Rotman Management, the magazine of the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management)
I think so. Those agitance factors I mentioned—the need for instant gratification or to achieve perfection— speed us up, physically; they make us 'run hotter'. Over time, our discomfort threshold becomes lower and lower. Here's a quick example: people are inordinately fed up by inconsequential matters, such as waiting in line at the grocery store. That didn't happen 25 years ago; we didn't expect to get results or service right away.
People today are far more irritable. That's just a minor example, but on a larger scale, with multiple incidents like that happening, you get a whole system that is basically in overdrive.
You write about the importance of performing in the 'discomfort zone' in business. Is there something about the entrepreneurial attitude that makes a person better at managing discomfort?
An entrepreneur's ability to endure discomfort is a tremendous attribute. Many people can't deal with discomfort, so they avoid risk. An entrepreneur has to assume a lot of risk and remain in that discomfort zone. Those people who are ultimately able to manage their discomfort perform better and better under entrepreneurial conditions.
I don't think everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur; some people are just wired to operate under those conditions, whereas others do better in conditions where they can create the structure.
People can learn to change, but we essentially come into the world a certain way. Some people are very rebellious with structure — I was one of those people — and some people are more at ease with people telling them what needs to be done. But whether you're 'wired' one way or the other, everyone can benefit from learning to thrive under pressure.
What can leaders do to help their employees turn discomfort into successful action?
There are many things that can be done, beginning at the student level. Students should be taught to embrace challenge, rather than having a system that encourages them to avoid risk and loss. We need to give people practice in assuming risk, with less emphasis placed on success alone.
Working under pressure basically squelches the problem-solving part of the brain, and decisions become fear-based. We try to control and limit losses, rather than control our gains.
We expect people to perform under pressure more than ever, but sadly, few people have received training in how to perform under these conditions; most of us learn through trial and error.
Some people are naturally good at it, but about 60 per cent of people are not. The good news is, productivity and workplace happiness are both impacted significantly when leaders recognize the interplay between the survival mechanism and working under pressure.
(Reprinted, with permission, from Rotman Management, the magazine of the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management)
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