Our Narratives from a Neuroscience Perspective

We all have our own narratives about various things; such as who we are, the right things to do, a certain way to live, and how the future is supposed to be shaped.

When we learn and grow, we might revise our narratives because we see the world differently.

From a neuroscience point of view, we all get inspired differently.

– For Social thinking style people, thinking about others can motivate them to act.

– For analytical thinking style people, data and credibility are important to convince them.

– For conceptual thinking style people, possibilities move them forward.

– For structured thinking style people, clear guidelines and planning make them feel in control.

Most of us have 2 to 3 preferred thinking styles and they impact our narratives significantly.

For example, from various covid vaccination discussions, I hear one’s thinking preferences clearly.

• I  got vaccinated because it’s good for the whole community (social)
• I  need more data to prove this new technology mRNA is safe for humans (analytical)
• I can see the possibility of natural immunity vs new vaccine (conceptual)
• I got vaccinated because this was CDC’s instruction (structural)

The above examples could be my own narrative and I believe they speak some truth about how neuroscience impacts our thoughts and actions.

In this uncertain time, we can hold our narratives tightly to feel in control or we can explore different perspectives and new narratives. The choice is always ours!