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.

Episode 6 – A Conversation with Karen Hill Anton

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 6 - A Conversation with Karen Hill Anton
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This episode features a conversation with Karen Hill Anton. For many years Karen wrote the greatly-loved Crossing Cultures column for the Japan Times. Karen arrived in Japan in 1975. Unlike many expatriates, however, she didn’t leading a cosmopolitan lifestyle in Tokyo. She and her husband Bill settled in a rustic farmhouse on the side of a mountain deep in Shizuoka prefecture, where they raised their family and integrated into the local community. Karen is a writer, dancer, artist and intercultural trainer and consultant. We discuss her new memoir—the View from Breast Pocket Mountain—and reflect on the challenges and rewards of intercultural living.

Episode 5 – Three Brains, Two Minds, and One Person

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 5 - Three Brains, Two Minds, and One Person
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In this episode, hosts Yvonne van der Pol and Joseph Shaules reflect on a question they were asked during a Brain, Mind and Culture Masterclass: Where is culture in the brain? They say that there is no specific location for culture in the brain. To understand the way that culture shapes our minds, we need to remember: three brains, two minds, and one person. The three brains refer to brain structures that reflect our evolutionary past—the “reptile brain”, the “mammalian brain” and the “primate brain”. The two minds refers to the intuitive (fast thinking-pattern based) mind and the attentive (slow-thinking analytic). Despite the complexity of these cognitive systems, we experience it all simply as the self – one person. Yvonne tells a story of cross-cultural coaching—a German who feels that Dutch people interrupt too much! While the difference may be cultural, the irritation he felt was in his whole body!

Episode 4 – Culture from the brain-mind-science perspective

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 4 - Culture from the brain-mind-science perspective
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Yvonne and Joseph dive deep into talk about culture from the brain-mind-science perspective. They share their excitement about new areas of research, such as cultural neuroscience, which is revolutionizing our understanding of culture and the mind. They discuss the importance of cultural “A-ha” moments of insight—these remind us the intercultural experiences touch us at deep levels of the self, and help us grow.