| I'm not a brain scientist, but I've been thinking | | | | I recently met a manager who was supervising a |
| about mirror neurons after seeing a wonderful | | | | team of eight women. "Tom's" struggle to relate |
| video on them (check it out at the PBS website | | | | to his team compelled him to attend one of my |
| under "Nova.") These specialized brain cells help us | | | | EI seminars. Tom confessed that he wasn't |
| relate to our surroundings and other people. Mirror | | | | comfortable expressing emotions. He also |
| cells build empathy and connection. They are | | | | acknowledged that the women on his team |
| activated every time we see or hear. | | | | seemed like an alien species. If Tom isn't |
| The video suggested that mirror neurons function | | | | emotionally literate, does this mean that his mirror |
| even more profoundly when we witness an | | | | neurons aren't able to help him relate to the |
| emotion or activity that we ourselves have | | | | "emotional" women at work? |
| experienced. This explains why my husband can | | | | Learning about brain structure continues to help |
| feel intensely involved when simply watching a | | | | me understand how emotional intelligence offers |
| football game and I am unmoved. This also | | | | practical assistance in daily life. In this case, I see |
| explains why emotional literacy is so vital in helping | | | | the benefit of constantly developing our |
| us develop empathy. Our mirror neurons link our | | | | awareness of our own emotional states. For |
| past emotional memories and compare them to | | | | Tom, recognizing his own fears and angers could |
| what we witness in another. We can then have a | | | | help his mirror neurons fulfill their function, helping |
| sense of how the other person feels-i.e. we can | | | | Tom empathize with his team. |
| feel empathy. | | | | |