Understanding Motivation & Building Workplaces that Support Well-Being

The power of positive emotions to create well-being at work

Ever wondered why we work better in environments where the leaders are supportive and give praise? 

When we consider this question it may lead us to conclude this to be common sense yet, sadly, it’s just not common practice in mainstream workplaces.

Through advances in neuroscience, we are now able to see inside the brains and minds of people while they are experiencing different emotions. What astounds scientists is the dramatically different ‘brain landscape’ for people who are in fear states, compared to those who are experiencing positive emotions and are in states of joy, gratitude and happiness. And the corresponding benefits to business as a result.

Once a person has been triggered by fear - which can be a result of a manner of things from the tone of an angry boss through to the intimidation tactic of a senior colleague - a cascade of neurochemicals starts in the lower brain and literally spews out into the rest of the brain - telling them to move into hyper-gear to protect the person from harm. 

This triggered reaction is not momentary - it is sustained over a half-life of 13 hours or a full life of 26 hours. If a leader continues to irritate, embarrass or outrage the employee during the next period of time, the cortisol and associated chemistry continues its cascade so the person is now, not just in a moment of fear, but in a prolonged state of fear. in this space we filter eveything so we are unable to see perspectives clearly because we’re totally high-jacked.

Parts of the brain needed for thinking, empathy, and getting along with others are now closing down and we are being driven into strategies for self-protection.

 How productive do you think this person is now?

Most leaders don’t realize that punishment and embarrassment to get people to perform, is not only an outdated strategy for employee motivation, it is a really harmful strategy with both short-term and long-term unexpected consequences. 

Inspired leaders could go further with motivation if they understood its neurochemistry - how praise and support can unlock the neurochemical patterns that also cascade chemistry throughout the brain. This powerful and almost drug-like dopamine state that comes from timely, appropriate, honest and well-deserved praise will set into place a pattern of intrinsic motivation that will open up new pathways for the employee to access new skills and talents. 

 Where do positive emotions come in?

Researchers find that when you induce positive emotion, people's brains can't help but pick up on the context, even when they were told to ignore it. When people are feeling neutral or negative emotions, they don't see the context at all. This suggests that when people experience positive emotions, they have a wider awareness . This may explain why people have a better memory for peripheral details when they’re remembering episodes that were positive. Positive emotions quite literally help us see more possibilities and feel more inspired about our work and in turn we embody a more creatively resourceful state. We produce oxytocin in our bodies when we feel nurtured. This is a bonding chemical that encourages trust and loyalty amongst teams. 

But how much positivity do we need in our lives to reap these benefits, how much is enough?

Research by Fredrickson  has concluded that a ratio of at least three-to-one -- three positive emotions for every negative emotion serves as a tipping point, which will help determine whether you languish in life, barely holding on, or flourish, living a life ripe with possibility and being remarkably resilient to hard times. It’s important to note that the ratio is not three-to-zero. This is not about eliminating all negative emotions. Part of this prescription is the idea that negative emotions are actually necessary to provide contrast so we can truly appreciate what matters most. Daniel Goleman is the psychologist and writer whose work is most commonly attributed to helping us understand the crucial importance of our emotions and building emotional intelligence through the need to understand, name, accept and foster resilience in life and in our workplaces. Dan Pink in his book, “The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” also builds on the power of empathy and emotional intelligence for personal mastery and business collective breakthroughs.

Given the fact that we can be hardwired towards negativity and that mainstream news and the constancy of change at work can be unsettling, disappointing and well, largely negative, workplace cultures and leaders and their teams need effective coping mechanisms for naming, understanding and then managing emotions in a healthy way to build cohesion, trust, support, resilience and enable full creativity to flourish.

If you would like support around how to create a culture that is more humane as well as productive then do get in touch.