transcript/TED_1zpf8H_Dd40.txt

[0.000 --> 13.440]  So you've already decided whether you like me or not.
[13.440 --> 19.360]  And you did that within a fraction of a second of seeing me.
[19.360 --> 25.520]  You made that unconscious choice the moment I walked on.
[25.520 --> 31.600]  You saw my behaviour, my body language, my nonverbal behaviour, my tone of voice as well
[31.600 --> 33.000]  that you're hearing now.
[33.000 --> 37.800]  And there's a part of your brain which if we take evolution as a given and we're going
[37.800 --> 42.260]  to have to take evolution as a given during the whole of my speech because all of my work
[42.260 --> 48.240]  relies on evolutionary psychology and behavioral evolutionary psychology and neural architecture
[48.240 --> 49.320]  based on evolution.
[49.320 --> 56.720]  So it's rather like if you play catching fairies with my daughter Stella you have to believe
[56.720 --> 62.200]  in fairies or you have to put on a really good performance that you believe in fairies
[62.200 --> 64.360]  because otherwise it's just no fun.
[64.360 --> 69.400]  So taking evolution as a given there's a part of your brain it sits right on top of your
[69.400 --> 71.640]  spine goes up inside of your head.
[71.640 --> 77.160]  Some people call it the brain stem or the R complex or the reptilian brain or the primitive
[77.160 --> 85.920]  brain and it makes snap judgments about everybody around it and everybody around you uses that
[85.920 --> 90.440]  part of their brain to make snap judgments about you.
[90.440 --> 97.480]  And based on behaviour it decides should we approach this person are they going to be
[97.480 --> 103.200]  good for us or should we retreat because they're going to be a huge risk.
[103.200 --> 108.800]  In fact if I open this idea out a little bit more there are simply four categories that
[108.800 --> 112.720]  your primitive brain has for everybody else around it.
[112.720 --> 116.960]  So as I walked on there were four potential categories for me.
[116.960 --> 123.640]  I came on stage I start behaving and your primitive brain says is Mark giving us some
[123.640 --> 131.200]  minimum specifications based on 500 million years of evolutionary data that he's possibly
[131.200 --> 132.640]  a friend for us.
[132.800 --> 134.720]  Is he going to supply to us.
[134.720 --> 141.280]  Do we see some signals that give us that gut reaction that this is going to be good.
[141.280 --> 149.240]  He's a good person and if you put me into that friend category you're now cherry picking
[149.240 --> 153.600]  from all the data that I've got using your neocortex which is about 200 thousand years
[153.600 --> 159.520]  old pretty new using that neocortex cherry picking all the data that fits your brain
[159.520 --> 163.440]  so that stems theory and assumption about me being a friend.
[163.440 --> 169.760]  Okay now I could come on and you might pick up some minimum specifications that Mark is
[169.760 --> 172.080]  an enemy to me a predator.
[172.080 --> 177.200]  Now I'm not trying to do those but if they accidentally happened you'd then put me into
[177.200 --> 183.200]  predicate category you do the retreat response instead of the approach response that you do
[183.200 --> 188.800]  around the friend category and then you send a message all unconsciously all unconscious
[188.800 --> 196.720]  choices to your neocortex gut saying go and get me all the data that proves Mark is the
[196.720 --> 197.720]  enemy to me.
[197.720 --> 201.280]  Of course the neocortex might go hey I don't really know this guy and he's not really
[201.280 --> 207.440]  said very much that I can discern so far so I'll just make up a load of stuff about him.
[207.440 --> 213.880]  I'll just make up some stories and some narratives that makes him bad yeah equally so if I come
[213.880 --> 220.000]  on and I trigger friend with your brain stem you equally if you can't find any data that
[220.000 --> 223.880]  makes me friend you just make up a whole bunch of stories about me that make me really
[223.880 --> 224.880]  good.
[224.880 --> 231.240]  Now the third category I come on I behave and for some reason you think ah Mark potential
[231.240 --> 241.120]  sexual partner for me.
[241.120 --> 247.800]  So when I do this not usually that much laughter okay.
[247.800 --> 253.800]  No look obviously I'm not trying to get into that category with you my wife's over there
[253.800 --> 259.240]  traces over there her Tracy so you know not trying to get in that category but these things
[259.240 --> 261.600]  can happen by accident.
[261.600 --> 267.240]  For example your brain stem is looking for things like does Mark look a little bit like
[267.240 --> 273.760]  me is he like me does he look to be kind of like one of my tribe one of my group one
[273.760 --> 279.600]  of my gang one of my company almost my family but not quite because you know genetic says
[279.600 --> 284.440]  that wouldn't be very very useful for us it wouldn't play out well so is he like me
[284.440 --> 289.840]  is does his hair look good does it look like it has good mineral content in it so it's
[289.840 --> 293.520]  got good color you're actually stroking your hair as you're as I'm talking about this
[293.520 --> 299.240]  right you madam I can I can read people right from here yeah don't look cool now don't
[299.240 --> 304.760]  look cool nothing happening here Tracy nothing going on nothing going on nothing going
[304.760 --> 310.080]  on so does it look like it has good mineral content in it and does it have a shine to
[310.080 --> 315.520]  it because that would mean there's probably a good omega-3 fatty acid diet and therefore
[315.520 --> 320.560]  I come from a land where there's good resource and I look a bit like you so if we were
[320.560 --> 326.360]  to mate and there was offspring well they grow up with good genetic code and in a land
[326.360 --> 330.640]  where there's opulence and food okay that's why we have those conditioner ads with the
[330.640 --> 336.280]  little flick of the hair and all of that yeah oh there's also with the which things like
[336.280 --> 342.040]  the pick up guys called peacocking which is you know where you've got you know beautiful
[342.040 --> 353.040]  colors that flash yeah again for me this is just style so if I come now here's the important
[353.040 --> 358.720]  bit here's the important bit because if I come on and I don't trigger friend or enemy
[358.720 --> 362.400]  or potential sexual partner with you which for those I triggered that you might want to
[362.400 --> 367.680]  start an orderly queue just turn there sometimes it goes around the whole block but that's
[367.680 --> 373.360]  okay if I haven't triggered those here's the important thing for us here today you are now
[373.360 --> 382.720]  indifferent to me and here's what you're hearing and your mind is off imagining the potential
[382.720 --> 388.920]  enemies or friends or sexual partners now there are seven billion people on the planet
[388.920 --> 394.120]  right now what do you think is the default category for anybody knew that you meet on this
[394.120 --> 404.760]  earth indifferent absolutely you are pre-programmed to be indifferent to the seven billion people
[404.760 --> 412.080]  on this planet right now and here's my problem I don't know I don't many of you out here to
[412.080 --> 416.840]  I mean the majority there's there's Tracey and Jennifer over there and that's always good yeah but
[416.840 --> 423.400]  the rest of you that they're my friends and family but the rest of you I don't know you don't
[423.400 --> 431.080]  know me which means you're designed to be indifferent to me right now and I have a really important
[431.080 --> 439.640]  message for you today but evolutionary psychology says and behavioral psychology says that you're just
[439.640 --> 447.080]  not going to pay attention to me unless I can get in the category of friend with you and so that's
[447.080 --> 454.040]  what I've been doing all the time I've been on here so far I've been giving you the signals to
[454.040 --> 461.080]  your primitive brain that will trigger you to cause me to go into friend category with you and
[461.080 --> 468.040]  cherry pick from all the language that I've given you only the stuff that is good and if you
[468.040 --> 474.200]  couldn't find anything good you've been making it up in your head so I just want to let you into
[474.200 --> 479.160]  the secret because I want you to be able to do this you know with your friends and family and
[479.160 --> 484.200]  help work and wherever you want to do this kind of thing I think should be free to all so here's
[484.200 --> 489.400]  what I've been doing look you know all this stuff this stuff's easy the smile okay smile it's a
[489.400 --> 494.680]  universal signal across the planet okay it's the same whatever whatever place you come from whoever
[494.680 --> 498.600]  you were born to whether you were born at the top of the mountain or down by a lake doesn't matter
[498.600 --> 503.480]  your country doesn't matter who your parents were everybody smiles the same the muscles here
[503.480 --> 512.760]  tighten to pull up the sides of the lips but that's not enough friend enemy or potential sexual partner
[515.800 --> 520.280]  for those of you at the back who are distanced from me you're indifferent to me right now
[520.280 --> 526.520]  but these people down the front in close proximity almost certainly in personal space or social space
[526.520 --> 533.000]  here yeah you are getting triggered with the minimum specifications for a predator which is not the
[533.000 --> 540.120]  full signal yeah half signal insufficient data when insufficient data your primitive brain defaults
[540.120 --> 546.200]  to negatives I can't do a half smile yeah I can't do a t-tee smile either that's get out of my
[546.200 --> 553.640]  territory yeah I bite so I need to narrow the eyes here which will cause wrinkles to happen here
[553.640 --> 561.240]  I can't flash this signal to you either I can't just go like that we know that the smile must
[561.240 --> 568.040]  build over three seconds and it must sustain for about three seconds otherwise it's insufficient data
[568.040 --> 572.840]  and your primitive brain goes ah predator it doesn't get the full signal better be safe than sorry
[572.840 --> 578.120]  the fight and flight system would rather judge me as a predator when I'm not and behave as if I'm
[578.120 --> 584.920]  a predator just to be safe so if I can sustain this and build this over about three seconds narrow
[584.920 --> 591.480]  those eyes and get that smile and get eye contact with some people they'll smile back at me
[592.680 --> 601.160]  yeah there we go good that's good now what I add to this is called the eyebrow flash okay the eyebrows
[601.400 --> 609.640]  flash up in fact sometimes I sustain it for a long time yeah and this is a universal signal for I
[609.640 --> 614.360]  recognize you I know you're my friend you're a friend of the family you can do this walking down
[614.360 --> 622.200]  the street you walk down a street like this and you go and literally it triggers their primitive
[622.200 --> 627.000]  brain and they're like oh hey hey good to meet you when was it we last yeah no it was last week
[627.000 --> 631.800]  wasn't it and yeah how are the kids and and after about five minutes they're like so where do I
[631.800 --> 638.600]  know you from you like you don't bye bye well off you go fantastic you can try this here's the
[638.600 --> 645.480]  really important one here's the really important one is I show you no tools no weapons empty hands it's
[645.480 --> 651.240]  a universal signal okay for I come unarmed we're diss if Darwin was right we descendant from
[651.240 --> 658.040]  ground-welling mammals as the forests of Africa receded during climate change yeah the planes
[658.040 --> 663.240]  started to open up the ground-welling mammal decided I will stand upright didn't do it in a few
[663.240 --> 670.360]  hours obviously took hundreds of thousands of years stood upright when it stood upright great it
[670.360 --> 674.920]  had control of the hands now that's really useful I can be tactile I can manipulate the world around
[674.920 --> 680.920]  me but also now my belly area with lots of soft delicate organs in is not protected by the
[680.920 --> 688.120]  ground that means under stress I better protect that and if I'm not under stress if I'm not a predator
[688.120 --> 694.760]  and you're not a predator then I display this area to you with no tools no weapons I call this
[694.760 --> 701.320]  area the truth plane because this is where you'll get stimulated and triggered at an unconscious
[701.320 --> 710.680]  level to choose me as being honest and truthful and good to be around and if I smile with that as
[710.680 --> 718.280]  well and raise my eyebrows you all go mark could read the telephone directory to us because you
[718.280 --> 726.280]  cherry pick the numbers that you were thought were great in it now at this point what people usually
[726.280 --> 737.720]  start to think is actually mark I'm getting a little bit disappointed now yeah because you kind
[737.720 --> 753.320]  of manipulating us aren't you yeah and yeah absolutely am and you say mark why can't you be honest
[754.280 --> 761.960]  yeah why can't you just be truthful why can't you just be authentic with us you know Mark you've
[761.960 --> 769.640]  got some great ideas just deliver them how you like build it and they will come well I'm telling you
[769.640 --> 779.000]  they are not going to show up they're going to watch breaking bad yeah it's the final episode on Sunday
[779.000 --> 791.400]  it's a good show it's a great show yeah and here's the thing if I was really authentic with you
[792.120 --> 801.560]  right now and didn't use the behaviors that I've learnt and become highly skilled in in order to
[801.560 --> 808.040]  become a good speaker around you if I don't use my countermeasures to the fight and flight system
[808.600 --> 815.000]  as I'm I've decided not to do now you'll see I'm not a good speaker I'm just highly skilled in
[815.000 --> 823.000]  technique in fact if if I were to be honest about this and authentic with you and by authentic I mean
[824.360 --> 830.040]  that for me authenticity is you know what's good for you you know what's bad for you and you will
[830.040 --> 836.520]  do what's good for you and right and feels right for you at an instinctual level regardless
[836.520 --> 843.160]  because you want to be you you want to be you regardless of the prizes or punishments out there okay
[843.880 --> 850.600]  if I was being truly authentic with you I would not show up for this I'm not joking that's
[850.600 --> 855.080]  that's a reality I wake up in I do this professionally by the way so I've already done one of
[855.080 --> 860.280]  these this morning for an hour and a half over in Niagara they put me on after Chris Hadfield
[863.960 --> 871.400]  he's a Canadian Space Man national hero thanks for your programming I wake up in the morning
[871.400 --> 879.240]  and I go the last thing I want to do at an instinctual gut level is to stand in front of a bunch
[879.240 --> 888.040]  of people who I don't know who I have no data around because I can't see them and and put out
[888.040 --> 895.480]  there my life's work in front of them for for them to criticize if they want to that's not what I
[895.480 --> 901.320]  want to do and when I start to get that feeling if you really want to see the authentic me the
[901.320 --> 908.040]  real me because build it and they will come when I start to get the feeling that you don't respect
[909.320 --> 917.960]  the past has anybody here has anybody here written three books on body language and behavior I'll
[917.960 --> 930.600]  just answer for you no so that you should judge me at all is stupidity on your part
[932.280 --> 940.360]  this is the authentic me this is what I really feel and here's the reality your safe here because
[940.360 --> 950.200]  you've got this stuff in front of you but if I came up close and showed you the real signals
[950.840 --> 957.080]  of predator which are the real signals I want to display in front of this kind of large crowd
[957.400 --> 963.960]  I guarantee you don't like me so much now do you so
[978.280 --> 979.560]  this stuff works so well
[980.200 --> 989.880]  so I choose my behaviors around you and I'm going to tell you again because what's coming up for me
[989.880 --> 998.280]  is a really important message for you and if I act authentically honestly in front of you
[998.760 --> 1004.840]  you're not going to listen to me and I hope you listen to this because it's really important
[1005.800 --> 1010.520]  I want you to have a look around you right now that is in a piece of rhetoric I mean actually look
[1010.520 --> 1016.840]  around you right now and and look at the back because there's lots of people here okay there's a lot
[1016.840 --> 1026.600]  of you there's about a thousand of you here today understand this your design to be indifferent to
[1026.600 --> 1032.920]  each other your design today to really just hang out with the people that you came with your spot
[1032.920 --> 1040.040]  a few others who I like you your tribal members yeah oh pretty yeah nice yeah great isn't it
[1040.040 --> 1046.440]  yeah but you've seen some people already today and they triggered predator in you enemy
[1046.440 --> 1057.000]  and more important you know who they are yeah and you've also met some people today the majority
[1057.000 --> 1061.960]  here and you don't know who they are you're indifferent to them and you're never going to
[1061.960 --> 1072.520]  meet them and you've got a brilliant life-changing idea for you your family your your town your city
[1072.520 --> 1078.520]  your world your universe and beyond that if you've got an intelligence wavy on mind which undoubtedly
[1078.520 --> 1089.560]  together you certainly all have can't believe I said that you've got some brilliant ideas and
[1089.560 --> 1096.520]  they've got some brilliant ideas but you're designed to be indifferent to each other so I'm
[1096.520 --> 1104.680]  asking you today I'm challenging you and in fact I'm just going to beg you okay just going to
[1104.680 --> 1116.280]  beg you I need you to be more inauthentic with each other today not just today tomorrow the day after
[1116.280 --> 1125.480]  and for the rest of your life because if you don't choose behaviors beyond your natural instincts
[1125.480 --> 1132.760]  for what you like and don't like you will miss brilliant opportunities in your life and if you
[1132.760 --> 1138.040]  don't go up to somebody today who you know at a gut level you're indifferent to they hold nothing
[1138.040 --> 1142.920]  for you your instinct you've smelled it you've tasted it you've seen it you've heard it you know
[1143.000 --> 1152.120]  they are nobody if you don't go up to them today and act and perform like their friend
[1152.840 --> 1162.520]  and ask them about their big idea and act and perform like you're listening you will miss
[1162.520 --> 1171.960]  something that is going to change your life so I'm begging you to act anything else
[1172.520 --> 1182.920]  but indifferent to the people around you today if I believe we could all be a little more
[1182.920 --> 1192.520]  inauthentic with each other now and again we might find that we are so much more than what we
[1192.520 --> 1204.520]  think we are we might find that we are so much more than we actually are because I truly believe
[1205.560 --> 1217.960]  it isn't your innate ideas or abilities or behaviors or skills or position that defines or
[1217.960 --> 1238.360]  has to define who you really are it can be the conscious choices that you make in spite of all of that
[1247.960 --> 1250.680]  you