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

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 5 - Three Brains, Two Minds, and One Person
Loading
/

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
Loading
/

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.

Episode 3 – Intercultural Visionary Edward Hall

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 3 - Intercultural Visionary Edward Hall
Loading
/

Yvonne and Joseph reflect on the life and legacy of the intercultural visionary thinker Edward Hall. Trained as an anthropologist, he broke with orthodoxy and pioneered the study of intercultural communication with the publication of his 1959 book, The Silent Language. He believed that intercultural understanding is harder than we might think, because we are deeply influenced by the cultural “programming” or our unconscious mind. This episode is in three parts:

Part 1 – The shape of your head

Part 2 – Shaking hands with Hall

Part 3 – The brain-scan revolution

Yvonne and Joseph discuss how thinking about cultural difference has evolved over time, introduce some key ideas of Hall, and reflect on how Hall’s work anticipated the work of cultural neuroscience and cultural psychology today.

Episode 2 – What is an intercultural trainer?

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 2 - What is an intercultural trainer?
Loading
/

What’s it like to work as an intercultural specialist? Joseph and Yvonne share their experience doing intercultural work in NGOs, business, government, and education. They talk about how they got started, the origins of this this field, and where it’s headed. They discuss the promise of brain and mind sciences to bring fresh ideas and deeper insights.

Episode 1 – Welcome to the Deep Culture Podcast

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 1 - Welcome to the Deep Culture Podcast
Loading
/

When we cross borders or live between different cultural worlds, we discover new parts of the self and learn to see the world in new ways ways. In Episode 1, host Joseph Shaules introduces the themes of this podcast. It will explore the psychological impact of intercultural experiences, informed by the sciences of brain, culture and mind. This podcast is inspired by the work of Edward T. Hall, who believed that deep forms of intercultural understanding are harder than they might seem, that intercultural experiences can be transformational, and who wouldn’t be surprised by the level of conflict and misunderstanding in our 21st century “global village”.