A(NU) Thought

Ever noticed how your mood suddenly changes when you enter a room? ➤ A meeting feels tense. ➤ A party feels energetic. ➤ A holiday destination instantly lifts your mood. We often call it the “vibe.” But psychology has another explanation: Emotional Contagion. It is the unconscious process through which we pick up and mirror the emotions of people around us. And it works both ways. ➤ A stressed colleague can make you feel tense. ➤ An anxious boss can create urgency across the team. ➤ A cheerful person can lift the mood of an entire room.

Open Intelligence: Education Between Art and Artificial by Saikat Majumdar, published by Vintage, an imprint of Penguin Randon House, is an interesting take on technology, art, education and AI. The perspective on AI from a professor of English and a creative writer was a fresh take. The author uses interesting anecdotes, research, technology, education, philosophy, popular books, movies, & brands from across the world to explain his ideas. He raises some relevant questions about the role of education in a future shaped by AI and attempts to answer them. He highlights that changes need to happen right from the root level, education, abilities, aptitudes, and interests, to make children future-ready. I particularly liked how the narrative moves from AI to humans and the importance of raising children with emotions and not just focusing on academics. The book gets a little essay-ish in between but picks up pace & brings in some interesting concepts of ACI, AGI, Bot Bias, co-exis...

Our brains can influence the way we perceive and judge people! Yes, you already know it. But let me tell you why? Ever wondered why one good quality makes us overlook four bad qualities in someone? You meet a colleague who is extremely articulate and confident. You immediately think: “She’s smart and capable. She'll probably be a great leader.” But do we actually know that? This is the Halo Effect. One positive quality can influence our overall perception of a person, even when that quality has nothing to do with their actual performance in other areas.

Just watched this very interesting video: “People are getting quieter and scientists are concerned” | DW News.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeJ61w7be2A   I noticed this during Covid, when we had all resigned ourselves to our homes (and fate!), that most of us were talking less amongst ourselves and more with technology. But the research discussed in the video is fascinating. Apparently, we are speaking 338 fewer words per person per day, every year, amounting to roughly 28% fewer spoken words in 2019 than in 2005. Yes, we text and video-call more. But much of that communication is limited to people we already know.

Raj ( naam toh suna hi hoga ) aspires to be among the high performers in the team, but despite all his efforts, he believes he is average. He thinks, “I want to be creative, but I’m afraid of being judged.”   and  “I want to sound confident, but I constantly second-guess myself.” Sounds familiar? At home, he wants to spend more time with his wife and son, but his work keeps him away from dinner table, in his room converted into home office.   Socially, he often wants to say no to friends, but being a good-hearted person, he ends up helping them more than he can. People know him as someone who can be counted upon. Outcome : work-life imbalance, stress, anxiety, unhappiness, fatigue, self-doubt, defensiveness and more.

The previous post highlighted Classical Conditioning at Workplace . A recap: Classical Conditioning is when our brain automatically starts associating a previously neutral trigger with an experience that repeatedly evokes a particular emotional or physical response. Over time, the trigger itself begins producing that same response. Our personal and social lives are not untouched by such conditioning, and funnily we don’t even realize how subtly it becomes a part of our routine. Certain words, people, or places make you feel something or trigger any emotion - happiness, excitement, fear, anxiety, anger, or sadness - before anything has actually happened? Think about these: Your spouse calling you by your full name A message from your partner saying, "We need to talk" The words "Exam Season" Your in-laws announcing they're visiting A call from your best friend. Or, how can I not mention... a call from Bajaj Finance (or any o...