Hidden Brain - You 2.0: The Mind's Eye

Some challenges can feel insurmountable. But psychologist Emily Balcetis says the solutions are often right in front of our eyes. This week, as part of our annual series on personal growth and reinvention, we revisit a favorite 2020 conversation about how we can harness our sight to achieve our goals.

Duration: 57m
Broadcast on: 15 Aug 2022
Audio Format: other

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This is Hidden Brain, I'm Shankar Vedanta. A few years ago, Emily Balcheris was fresh out of space in her life. She was overseeing an enormous research project. Her son was just a few months old and barely sleeping. And she had the opportunity to write a book. If Emily's life had been a hotel, it would have had a no vacancy sign out front. And that's when I decided, you know what, I also need to become a drummer. I needed something that was just for myself. I needed to explicitly and intentionally carve out time to let my own brain do the thing that it wanted to do just for me. Emily decided she'd learn to play a single song. I wanted to play one rock tune on drums, but like really learn how to nail it. That might seem like a modest goal, but besides being short on time, Emily had another thing working against her. Playing drums is like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time. You have to strike different drums at the right moment and use one foot to hit a pedal. Such coordination was not Emily's strong suit. I'm very uncoordinated. I have been my entire life. In the fourth grade, I was on a basketball team and I pushed my own teammate out of bounds when she was carrying the basketball because I tripped on my own feet. I wasn't invited back to the next season of play, so coordination wasn't my forte. She chose the song "Your Love" by the English band The Outfield and recorded herself while she practiced. Her early efforts sounded a bit like the person in the audience who claps on the wrong beat. Emily may not have been born with a gift of coordinated limbs, but what she did have was a mental encyclopedia of psychological insights. Emily drew on her years of studying psychology to help her practice. The research she put to use was not about sound, but about sight. A hidden secret about goal pursuit is that what we see is really tied to what we think, what we decide and what we do. This week on Hidden Brain, how we can use the brain's visual system to shape our behavior. It's part of U2.0, our annual summer series, about facing life's chaos with wisdom. Support for Hidden Brain comes from Liberty Mutual Insurance. Making smart decisions includes considering how to protect your car and home and how much you're paying to ensure them. Liberty Mutual customizes your car and home insurance to save you money because when you've worked hard for something, choosing insurance should be easy. Start your quote at libertymutual.com Support for Hidden Brain comes from Air France. Air France business cabin offers comfort throughout the journey with priority check-in, boarding and lounge access. On board, enjoy menus from renowned French chefs, wines and champagne selected by Assamelier and free high-speed Wi-Fi. When it's time to rest, settle into a fully adjustable life flat bed with added mattress comfort. The art of travel, elevated because Air France business cabin goes further in every detail to make your journey exceptional. Support for Hidden Brain comes from Defender. Even the boldest journey starts small with a single decision to go somewhere new. The Defender 110 is a vehicle built for those moments for drivers capable of great things, whether they're headed toward uncharted territory or just a weekend away. The Defender 110 combines on-road presence with off-road capability. It looks tough because it is, with an exterior engineered for durability. Inside, capability meets comfort, with seating for five and the option for seven, plus refined finishes and thoughtful design. It's also packed with intuitive tech, like 3D surround cameras with clear-side ground view to help you navigate rough terrain. And the next-generation PIVI Pro infotainment system, designed to keep you informed, connected and in control, no matter the path. The Defender 110 is naturally capable, expedition ready, and built for those ready to move forward. Explore the Defender 110 at LandRoverUSA.com. When most of us think of the world around us, we think about what we see. Many people say the sense of sight is their most important sense and the one they most fear losing. My guest today says what we see affects more than just what we see. It also affects how we behave. Psychologist Emily Balcherez at New York University is the author of clearer, closer, better. How successful people see the world. She studies the psychological dimensions of sight and says there are ways to exploit the brain's visual system to boost motivation, achieve goals and gain perspective. By reimagining the frame around a problem, she says, we can literally see the world in a new way. Emily Balcherez, welcome to Hidden Brain. Hi. Pleasure to be here. I want to start by having you tell me the story of a skydiver named Luke Aikens. You spoke with a fellow skydiver of his who says he gave Luke this piece of advice.

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