The Weekly Circle #15
Welcome to the fifteenth episode of The Weekly Circle! A free Circles in Time newsletter released every Sunday.
Hey everybody,
It was fulfilling to be recognised as a nominee for the behavioural science ‘content person of the year’ in the recent Habit Weekly Awards. Big thanks to everyone who voted for me this week :)
My journey towards creating a thriving behavioural science community of learning and practice is just beginning. I’m still very much in the trenches of traction, product-market fit and experimenting with every possible component of the initiative. To know there are so many out there who are supporting me while I figure it out is something I’m continuously motivated by, and grateful for.
Exploring the Paths Less Travelled in Behavioural Science
One of the reasons I decided to set up the Circles in Time initiative was because I recognised a need to start exploring new avenues in the applied behavioural sciences.
For a field to sustain itself over the long run, it needs to innovate continuously, and that innovation doesn’t just happen. The video below comes from a presentation I gave, calling on researchers and practitioners to spend time exploring new paths, instead of just exploiting the fruits the field as already created.
I would love to have a discussion about this thesis. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below or by replying directly to this message.
If you’re interested in the topics discussed in this talk, I also wrote a long-form essay earlier this year, that goes into all the details around the core ideas I mention.
NEW CIRCLES IN TIME COURSE!
The final round of the Circles in Time programme for 2020 kicks off on the 19th of November.
It is an ‘ESSENTIALS’ version, which means the programme is much shorter, cheaper and we are going to move much faster than usual.
There are still spots left, but I am limiting the capacity to 24 for this round, so if you are interested, please do book your spot as soon as possible.
WORLD VIEWS
Here are the ideas I’ve been circling around this week.
THE WORLD AROUND US
Prescribing ‘Nature Pills’
Naturalist, John Muir famously said that “In every walk with nature ones receives far more than one seeks.” Biophilic designers ask how we might bring the benefits of this ‘walk with nature’ into the places we live and work.
I’ve been fascinated by the studies that show how exposure to nature can have huge effects on our stress levels, well being, cognitive functioning and creativity.
Exposure to nature has even been proven to accelerate the healing process of patients in hospitals after surgery. The landmark study here was by Roger Ulrich in 1984. It is a fascinating read.
Moving from research to practice, this introduction explores the 14 most common patterns of biophilic design. A summary of 14 patterns can be found below, but the article is still very much worth a read.
14 PATTERNS OF BIOPHILIC DESIGN:
Visual Connection with Nature
A view to elements of nature, living systems and natural processes.Non-Visual Connection with Nature
Auditory, haptic, olfactory, or gustatory stimuli that engender a deliberate and positive reference to nature, living systems or natural processes.Non-Rhythmic Sensory Stimuli
Stochastic and ephemeral connections with nature that may be analyzed statistically but may not be predicted precisely.Thermal & Airflow Variability
Subtle changes in air temperature, relative humidity, airflow across the skin, and surface temperatures that mimic natural environments.Presence of Water
A condition that enhances the experience of a place through the seeing, hearing or touching of water.Dynamic & Diffuse Light
Leveraging varying intensities of light and shadow that change over time to create conditions that occur in nature.Connection with Natural Systems
Awareness of natural processes, especially seasonal and temporal changes characteristic of a healthy ecosystem.Biomorphic Forms & Patterns
Symbolic references to contoured, patterned, textured or numerical arrangements that persist in nature.Material Connection with Nature
Material and elements from nature that, through minimal processing, reflect the local ecology or geology to create a distinct sense of place.Complexity & Order
Rich sensory information that adheres to a spatial hierarchy similar to those encountered in nature.Prospect
An unimpeded view over a distance for surveillance and planning.Refuge
A place for withdrawal, from environmental conditions or the main flow of activity, in which the individual is protected from behind and overhead.Mystery
The promise of more information achieved through partially obscured views or other sensory devices that entice the individual to travel deeper into the environment.Risk/Peril
An identifiable threat coupled with a reliable safeguard.
It is it worth considering how you might experiment with these patterns in your work and personal life. You could also just take a ‘nature pill’ by getting into the habit of going for a short walk in nature on a recurring basis.
THE WORLD BETWEEN US
The Creative Cliff Illusion
A recent study found that people tend to think their creativity will decay in ideation workshops, when in fact, creativity remains constant and even increases in certain situations. The researchers describe this misprediction as the creative cliff illusion.
As lead researcher, Brian Lucas says:
“Eight studies found that people expect their creativity to decline across an ideation session when it, in fact, tends to improve or persist (we call this misprediction the creative cliff illusion). These beliefs are consequential because they lead people to undervalue ideation: They exhibit less task persistence and lower creative performance. This research documents a fundamental disconnect between people’s beliefs and the reality of how creativity emerges over time.”
The finding has interesting implications for the way we think about creativity, innovation, productivity and time allocation at work.
THE WORLD WITHIN US
Is Infotropism the Unifying Principle for Understanding the Brain?
One of the most fascinating ideas I’ve come across recently is infotropism, which describes the brain as having a fundamental bias towards maximising novel information. The term was coined by the neuroscientist, David Eagleman, who likens the process to phototropism— the core strategy plants use capture optimal light by experimenting with lots of different positions.
If you watch a plant growing in fast motion, you will see that it doesn’t grow straight towards the light source. Instead, it overshoots its trajectory by a little bit, then undershoots by a bit, and so on. “Instead of a preplanned mission, it is a spastic dance with constant correction”, as Eagleman elegantly explains.
A similar strategy is used by bacteria searching for the centre of a food source. Their search strategy is driven by three simple rules:
Randomly select a direction and move in a straight line.
If things are getting better, keep going.
If things are getting worse, randomly change directions by tumbling.
In other words, the strategy is to lockdown the approach when things are improving and dump it when it is not working. By applying this simple policy, a bacterium can quickly and efficiently work its way towards the densest point of a food source.
According to Eagleman, there is a similar principle at play in the brain. Instead of working towards maximising sunlight or food, the brain works towards maximising information. His hypothesis suggests that neural circuitry constantly shift to maximise the amount of important information it can extract from the environment.
You can learn more about infotropism in Eagleman’s fascinating new book.
WISE WORDS
The quotes I’ve been circling around this week
ON TAKING A BREAK
“If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.” ~ Banksy
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” ~ Terry Pratchett
ON ANXIETY
“Anxiety is experiencing failure in advance.” ~ Seth Godin
“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.” ~ Søren Kierkegaard
“Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” ~ Corrie Ten Boom
“Anxiety's like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you very far.” ~ Jodi Picoult
ON SURPRISE
“History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again.” ~ Kurt Vonnegut
“Everybody knows that pestilences have a way of recurring in the world; yet somehow we find it hard to believe in ones that crash down on our heads from a blue sky. There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise.” ~ Albert Camu
“To be prepared against surprise is to be trained. To be prepared for surprise is to be educated.” “A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play.” ~ James Carse
THE SAMPLE OF ONE PODCAST
In my latest Sample of One podcast episode, I have a conversation with the brilliant and bold Bec Weeks. Bec is a behavioural scientist and co-founder of an exciting new mobile application called Pique— which turns behavioural science theory into practical lessons that you can apply in everyday life. As you can imagine, I’m a big fan.
Bec and I speak about the problem Pique is trying to solve, her process for creating Pique’s content, the business model and her vision for the future. We also discuss the state of the behavioural science landscape, the limitations of centralised nudging, heterogeneity, the psychological implications of public sector paternalism, and how Bec applies behavioural science in her personal life.
#6 | Bec Weeks | Science, self-improvement and a sense of humour
If you missed any of the recent episodes, I’d encourage you to explore them too—especially episode five, where I speak with Jessica Exton about sticky behaviours and finding flow-on effects. We also discuss the fascinating concept of psychological contamination, and the downside risks it poses for the sharing economy.
COMMUNITY UPDATE
Monthly Personal System Setup Workshop
We had our monthly members workshop this past Saturday. Community members came with a particular behavioural goal that they wanted to experiment with for the month of November. We then moved through a series of steps to put a system in place to achieve that goal.
These workshops occur on the last weekend of every month, in order to set up a system to experiment with during the month ahead. It is proving to be a great way to stay connected, and keep members’ system setup skills sharp!
Community Platform Update
We are moving away from Slack as the primary space for asynchronous communications and participation between Circles in Time community members. As of November, we’ll be using the Circle platform. Not only is their platform specifically designed for online community building, but I am a big fan for their team and vision for the company.
Members can expect an invitation this week to join the platform and start participating in the space created for them there.
SOMETHING TO EXPERIMENT WITH
Take at least 20 minutes out of your day to stroll or sit in a place that makes you feel in contact with nature.
Research suggests that you can significantly lower your stress hormone levels by simply exposing yourself to a bit of nature. As the lead author of the study Mary Carol Hunter, writes:
"We know that spending time in nature reduces stress, but until now it was unclear how much is enough, how often to do it, or even what kind of nature experience will benefit us. Our study shows that for the greatest payoff, in terms of efficiently lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol, you should spend 20 to 30 minutes sitting or walking in a place that provides you with a sense of nature."
SOMETHING TO PART WITH
James Reason’s model shows how accidents can occur in complex systems when the inherent holes of multiple safeguards happen to line up at the same time.
Until next week,
Take care,
David