Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently

by Gregory Berns

Overview

What makes iconoclasts so astoundingly creative and successful?

They overcome mental barriers that stop most people cold. All people have three natural roadblocks in their brains that stand in the way of truly innovative thinking: flawed perception, fear of failure, and the inability to persuade others. But, like iconoclasts, you can break through these barriers.

Leading neuroscientist Gregory Berns shows how in his tour of the science behind thinking differently. Did you known that when you see the same thing over and over again, your brain expends less and less energy? Your mind already knows what it's seeing, so it doesn't make the effort to process the event again. Just putting yourself in new situations can make you see things differently and jump-start your creativity.

Berns connects insights like these to vivid stories of the iconoclasts who epitomize them. Young Walt Disney spent hours staring at his drawings on a move screen as he imagined motion pictures and illustrations combining in a revolutionary way. David Dreman, trader extraordinaire, overcame his fear of failure by understanding the psychology of the markets and capturing tremendous value in otherwise ignored stocks. Ray Kroc created new social connections with his McDonalds customers, dominating his industry.

The most creative and innovative ideas have come from individuals who do what other say can't be done. You, too, can break away from the innate urge to conform-and move beyond your previous limitations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781422115015
Publisher:	Harvard Business Review Press
Publication date:	09/29/2008
Pages:	250
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Gregory Berns, MD, PhD, is professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University. He has written for numerous science publications and has been interviewed on National Public Radio, CNN, and ABC's Primetime. He has been profiled frequently in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and other media.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: Doing What Can't Be Done Howard Armstrong 1

1 Through the Eye of an Iconoclast Dale Chihuly Paul Lauterbur Nolan Bushnell 13

2 From Perception to Imagination Walt Disney Florence Nightingale Branch Rickey Kary Mullis 35

3 Fear-The Inhibitor of Action Jackie Robinson Dixie Chicks

4 How Fear Distorts Perception NASA Richard Feynman Solomon Asch Martin Luther King Jr. 83

5 Why the Fear of Failure Makes People Risk Averse David Dreman Bill Miller Henry Ford 107

6 Brain Circuits for Social Networking Pablo Picasso Vincent van Gogh Stanley Milgram Ray Kroc Arnold Schwarzenegger Linus Torvalds Warren Buffett 129

7 Private Spaceflight-A Case Study of Iconoclasts Working Together Burt Rutan Richard Branson Peter Diamandis Rick Homans 155

8 When Iconoclast's Becomes Icon Arthur Jones Jonas Salk Steve Jobs 179

Appendix: The Iconoclast's Pharmacopeia 201

Notes 223

Index 233

About the Author 254

Editorial Reviews

Psychiatry professor Berns (Satisfaction: The Science of Finding True Fulfillment) describes an iconoclast as "a person who does something that others say can't be done." Though keeping his promise to reveal the "biological basis" for the ability to think outside the box, Berns keeps technical explanation to a minimum, instead using themes like perception, fear and networking to profile a number of famous free-thinkers. While the ordinary person perceives the world based on his past experience and "what other people say," the iconoclast is both willing and able to risk seeing things differently; in the case of glass sculptor Dale Chihuly, his creative breakthrough (departing from symmetry in his ice-sculptures) came after a car crash blinded him in one eye, literally changing his view of the world. The will to take risks is also paramount; Cardinals baseball coach Branch Rickey and his controversial hire Jackie Robinson, the first black man in the Majors, provide models of imagination and fearlessness. Berns also looks at iconoclasts like Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King Jr., Henry Ford, the Dixie Chicks, Warren Buffett and Picasso, relating in lucid terms the mindsets that set them apart.
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