Tag: threat

It’s not fair!

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protest with banners

In previous posts I explained that the brain is geared to seek reward and avoid threat, and the threat response is both stronger and lasts longer.

The amygdala (the part of the brain responsible for initiating the fight-flight-freeze response) is very sensitive and triggered easily.  The trouble is, the brain can’t tell the difference between a genuine life-threatening situation and something more benign.  These days, we’re pretty safe from most natural predators.  But humans evolved to be social creatures and belonging to a group is important to us.  We’re more likely to have the threat response triggered in social situations – being put down in a meeting, for example, or someone offering to give us ‘feedback’.

Fairness

We’re finely attuned to when things are ‘fair’ – if we feel we are being treated differently to other people in the group.  When we perceive things to be unfair, there is a strong reaction in the limbic system.  (And conversely, dopamine is released if we feel something is ‘fair’).  Take a look at this 3-minute video to see how our cousins (monkeys) behave when things aren’t fair:

The monkey was keenly aware he wasn’t being paid the same as the other monkey and reacted accordingly!  So just think how this plays out in organisations.  And you wonder why the gender pay gap makes women angry?

And at times of organisational change, there’s plenty of opportunity for situations to arise that employees may deem as ‘unfair’. Why did that person get the job and not me?  Why am I being laid off or demoted? Why can’t I have the desk next to the window? It’s incredibly important to ensure processes are fair and objective, to explain how decisions were made, and to enable conversations to be had when things are perceived as unfair.

Why change is stressful

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two frightened people

To understand why change can be stressful, I first need to give a brief biology lesson about how the brain works.

Our brain’s purpose is to keep us alive. To do that, it predominantly relies on two systems: seek reward and avoid threat.

You probably already know about these. The reward system makes us feel good, and includes the release of chemicals such as dopamine and oxytocin.  A mild change can be rewarding.  We like a bit of novelty – to explore and learn new things. 

Our threat or stress response is known as the ‘fight-flight-freeze’ response.  Adrenalin and cortisol are released, triggering physiological changes such as increased heart rate and focussed vision.  Take a look at this video for more.

Threat is more powerful than reward

The threat response is far more powerful than the reward response.  This makes sense from an evolutionary point of view.  We can survive without finding food for a while, but it just takes one threat to kill us.  

So in order to avoid threats and gain rewards, the brain is constantly on the lookout for changes in our environment.  If things are as expected, we feel calm.  But if our brain detects change, we are wired to go on alert and assume the worst until proven otherwise.

So it’s frustrating when leaders say their employees should be more resilient when faced with change.  They’re human, and our brains are hardwired to see change as threatening.  We need to remember and be empathetic to that.