There is no shortage of lists of how laughter can lead to successful business. I have included three of these in the bibliography, but I will summarize it in a few categories that I feel are most relevant. Let me start with a cautionary note – laughter is undeniably about context – no one wants to come across as the court jester.
Starting with a bit of history – the vagus nerve has appeared in various contexts in earlier articles. Despite these previous articles, a quick summary seems in order, especially since this topic involves so much psychological and physiological context. The vagus nerve is one of 12 cranial nerves – it being the largest. It extends from the brainstem to the abdomen by way of multiple organs, including the heart and lungs.
Just to be clear, my objective in this article is not to do a book review or a historical reenactment of the life and accomplishments of da Vinci but rather to repeat some lessons identified by the author that can be drawn upon in the context of creativity and/or innovation everyday challenges in the world of business.
What could be the practical value (to the world of business) of an overview of the neuroscience of creativity/innovation? If nothing else – I hope to illustrate what a holistic phenomenon this is and encourages initiatives that could enhance cognition, creativity and innovation.
“Humanity’s ability to alter its own brain function might well shape history as powerfully as the development of metallurgy in the Iron Age, mechanization in the Industrial Revolution or genetics in the second half of the twentieth century.”
What business person would not want to get more out of their most important resource? The challenge presented by this is highlighted in previous articles where I identified just some of the issues. The articles will appear in two parts: (1) Hi-tech/new age and (2) the lo-tech/tried and true.
Just to cut to the chase – I have no magic bullet to share with you – I will just give you some overview of each approach, and a few pro/cons. As with most of our topics the approach you choose – should reflect the circumstances of the situation and your personal wiring. As always I am just trying to be sure you have more than one arrow in your quiver.
Today numerous people and corporations promote the fact they are donating money to worthy causes. Don’t get me wrong this is great and there should be more of this charitable mentality but there is a smarter way to give back than just giving money away and results should be more than financial.