Episode 11 – Beyond Dos and Don’ts

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 11 - Beyond Dos and Don'ts
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People often want to learn cultural Dos and Don’ts when going abroad—such as: “In Japan, present your business card with both hands.” But rules like this often don’t get you very far. Culture is much more complex than any set of etiquette rules. How should we respond to such requests? Why are simplistic questions or stereotypical statements about culture so common? In this episode, Yvonne van der Pol and Joseph Shaules explore this Dos and Don’ts dilemma from the brain-mind perspective. We ask: What’s the difference between surface and deep levels of cultural understanding? How can we go beyond Dos and Don’ts?

Episode 10 – Language, Culture and Mind

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 10 - Language, Culture and Mind
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Why are some things—such as the Dutch word gezelligheid—so hard to translate? Will technology make language learning obsolete? Does speaking a foreign language change how you look at the world? In this episode, Joseph Shaules and Yvonne van der Pol explore such questions from the brain and mind science perspective. They talk about linguaculture—language and culture as two parts of a larger, complex, dynamic whole. They discuss embodied simulation theory, which proposes that language use involves an embodied process of mental simulation; it’s much more than a manipulation of mental symbols. All this helps us understand why language learning helps us enter into other cultural worlds, and remains important for intercultural bridge people everywhere.

Episode 9 – Bias is not bias

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 9 - Bias is not bias
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In this episode, Joseph Shaules and Yvonne van der Pol talk about cognitive biases – the “natural” mental shortcuts that make us jump to conclusions, misjudge, favor the familiar, be ethnocentric, and more. Cultural bridge people need to understand cognitive biases because they are so often triggered in intercultural situations. You will hear a story about a bicycle from Yvonne, and we even discuss the bhavacakra—The Buddhist Wheel of Life. It reminds us that waking up to the biases within us is an important step towards deeper intercultural understanding.

Episode 8 – Empathy Across Cultures

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 8 - Empathy Across Cultures
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In this episode, we explore empathy – the ability to look at things from another person’s perspective. We discuss the importance of empathy for cultural bridge people, and why it can be difficult in intercultural situations! Yvonne talks about empathy in her hometown and Joseph tells a story of failed empathy on a freezing street corner in Tokyo. We also look at what science can teach us about empathy—it involves many cognitive systems and is linked with motivation! We are thankful for the work of Jamil Zaki, whose insights helped inspire this episode.

Episode 7 – The Oz Moment

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 7 - The Oz Moment
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Joseph and Yvonne discuss the “Oz Moment”—the experience of wonder and surprise that comes from first experiencing the sights, sounds and sensations in a foreign place. This episode explores the mental processes that lead to Oz Moment experiences. We hear from Ayako, who had a life-changing experience when she stepped into the restroom at LAX. Oz moments teach us a lot about how our mind works when we have intercultural experiences.