Tame the Primitive Brain: 28 Ways in 28 Days to Manage the Most Impulsive Behaviors at Work

Tame the Primitive Brain: 28 Ways in 28 Days to Manage the Most Impulsive Behaviors at Work

by Mark Bowden
Released March 2013
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781118436981

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Book description

A new and simple system to understanding and controlling the behavior of others

Noted body language, behavior and communication expert Mark Bowden offers a totally practical, easy-to-read guide to understanding the impulsive actions of others, along with the best tools to manage them. A number one anxiety in business is dealing with problem people. In Tame the Primitive Brain, Mark Bowden's fresh approach is the fastest and most effective way to understand why someone acts towards you the way they do; why you react to their behavior in the way you do; and most importantly, what exactly to do about it to achieve the right outcomes.

  • Brings new and fresh perspectives to business readers for dealing with tricky behaviors

  • Explains how to effectively manage those around you at any level in an organization

  • Shares the latest evolutionary behavioral theory, neuroscientific evidence, and the tried and tested tools and tricks based on these premises

This simple model of how we humans can and do relate to each other brings increased depth of understanding and expands your toolset to better manage yourself and others to achieve anything.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Contents
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Preface
  8. Introduction
  9. Week One You
    1. Day One: Shared Instincts
      1. Impulse Buying
      2. Primary Schooling
      3. Suppressing Thoughts
      4. Ingrained Habits
      5. The Unconscious Process
      6. Out of Control
      7. Day One Action
    2. Day Two: Snap Judgments
      1. Get Away from Her, You B#%$*!
      2. We’re Still Collating
      3. I Think It’s Safe to Assume It Isn’t a Zombie
      4. This or That?
      5. We’re All Gonna Die, Man!
      6. Day Two Action
    3. Day Three: Default to the Negative
      1. Rumsfeld
      2. I’ll Wake the President
      3. Crisis of Confidence
      4. I Do Not Like Broccoli
      5. Expect the Worst
      6. Act Today to Preserve Today
      7. Day Three Action
    4. Day Four: Best-Fit Thinking
      1. Pacino or De Niro?
      2. If the Cap Fits . . . It Must at Least Be on a Head?
      3. Pattern Recognition
      4. Day Four Action
    5. Day Five: Friend, Enemy, Sexual Partner, or Indifferent
      1. Categorically Thinking
      2. So What?
      3. Fitting In
      4. You’re Fit for Work
      5. Again, So What?
      6. Trust in Behavior
      7. Day Five Action
    6. Day Six: Moods and Emotions
      1. Are You Feeling Blue?
      2. In the Mood for Anger?
      3. What Started This?
      4. Change = Threat
      5. Pull the Trigger
      6. Find What You’re Looking For
      7. Day Six Action
    7. Day Seven: The Spice of Life
      1. Chemical Dependence
      2. Diminished Responsibility
      3. Hell’s Seesaw
      4. Day Seven Action
  10. Week Two Relationships
    1. Day Eight: Relationships Are Dyadic
      1. Madonna’s First Imprint
      2. Ducks in a Row
      3. The Born Identity
      4. I Blame The Parents
      5. Day Eight Action
    2. Day Nine: Opposites Attract
      1. You Complete Me
      2. Attractive
      3. Where’s the Romance Gone?
      4. Trophies and Gold Diggers
      5. See That Really Annoying Person? It’s You!
      6. Old-Brain Logic
      7. Day Nine Action
    3. Day Ten: BFFs
      1. Me, Again
      2. Marching to the Same Drummer
      3. Trust It
      4. Chemical Wedding
      5. Eyes
      6. Definition of a Friend
      7. Friends with Benefits
      8. Day Ten Action
    4. Day Eleven: Enemies
      1. Who Goes There?
      2. A Brief History of Hatred
      3. Kill or Be Killed
      4. Why Can’t They Be Like Us?
      5. Extremists
      6. Extremities
      7. People Hate Being Powerless
      8. Day Eleven Action
    5. Day Twelve: Indifference
      1. Who?
      2. Blending into the Background
      3. Day Twelve Action
    6. Day Thirteen: Moods Are Contagious
      1. Outbreak
      2. Sharing the Feeling
      3. Emotional Time and Space
      4. Emotion, Mirrors, and Empathy
      5. Sociopathic?
      6. Day Thirteen Action
    7. Day Fourteen: The Four Stages of Relationship
      1. Reflection
      2. Infatuation
      3. Reality
      4. Grief
      5. Partnership
      6. You Fall for Them Again
      7. Day Fourteen Action
  11. Week Three Tribe
    1. Day Fifteen: We Are Tribal
      1. Club
      2. First Tribe
      3. Community Spirit
      4. Group-Work
      5. Reptilian Brain Tribes
      6. Tribal by Nature
      7. Day Fifteen Action
    2. Day Sixteen: Tribal Nurture
      1. Fit
      2. Propaganda
      3. Day Sixteen Action
    3. Day Seventeen: Hierarchy
      1. Symbols
      2. Alpha—Beta—Omega
      3. Kicking Post
      4. Top Down
      5. Treading on Toes
      6. Ordo Ab Chao
      7. Day Seventeen Action
    4. Day Eighteen: Tension
      1. Solo or Group
      2. Parties
      3. Isolation
      4. Responsibility versus the Safety Net
      5. My Brother’s Keeper
      6. Reasonable
      7. Day Eighteen Action
    5. Day Nineteen: Values
      1. Affiliations to Appearance
      2. Valuing the Disagreement
      3. Pedants
      4. Day Nineteen Action
    6. Day Twenty: Diversity
      1. So Fast You Don’t Know What Hit You
      2. Species Depend on Each Other
      3. Environmental Conditions for a Great Team
      4. Leading Teams Well
      5. Day Twenty Action
    7. Day Twenty-One: Changing Tribes Is Expensive
      1. The One Constant
      2. Leaving the Tribe
      3. Day Twenty-One Action
  12. Week Four New You
    1. Day Twenty-Two: Suspend Judgment
      1. The Doctor Is In
      2. Act Up
      3. Day Twenty-Two Action
    2. Day Twenty-Three: Be Curious
      1. Ask Questions
      2. Standing Their Ground
      3. Day Twenty-Three Action
    3. Day Twenty-Four: Open Your Heart
      1. Old Hats for Old Heads
      2. Keep Your Own Heart
      3. Day Twenty-Four Action
    4. Day Twenty-Five: Give
      1. Better to Give . . .
      2. . . . Than to Receive
      3. Take My Advice; I’m Not Using It!
      4. Instinctive about Choices
      5. Day Twenty-Five Action
    5. Day Twenty-Six: Manage Your Disappointment
      1. Goals
      2. Expect Disappointment
      3. Day Twenty-Six Action
    6. Day Twenty-Seven: Values Trump Rules
      1. Rules and Artificial Intelligence
      2. Organizational Intelligence
      3. Take a Break
      4. Day Twenty-Seven Action
    7. Day Twenty-Eight: Expand Your Tribe
      1. Social Advantage
      2. Closer Than “on Average”
      3. The World Is Your Oyster
      4. Small Is Beautiful
      5. Day Twenty-Eight Action
  13. Conclusion
  14. Further Reading and Resources
  15. About the Author
  16. Index

Product information

  • Title: Tame the Primitive Brain: 28 Ways in 28 Days to Manage the Most Impulsive Behaviors at Work
  • Author(s): Mark Bowden
  • Release date: March 2013
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781118436981