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Hello Friend!
Buckle up this week, because I’m going to take you on a weird, wacky science journey.
It’ll be worth your time, too, as these insights set you up to be an Unignorable force at work… whether you have positional authority or not.
As my readers know, I researched my forthcoming book, Unignorable: The Science of Being Taken Seriously, for 10 years. Much of this was field research, but it also included analyzing evidence-based, peer-reviewed science that helped explain why smart, capable people get overlooked every day.
In this, Paul Zak became a central figure.
He’s a neuroscientist who has conducted breakthrough research on oxytocin, a hormone and chemical messenger produced in the brain that helps support social bonding and feelings of connection.
Over the last 25 years, he and his research team have found that high levels of oxytocin at work predict stronger productivity and innovation outcomes, and more joy in your day-to-day responsibilities.
We’ve all heard about psychological safety on teams (I had much to say about this in my first book), but this topic has mostly been discussed in terms of leaders and how they create safer environments for their employees to thrive.
But psychological safety is also created or inhibited in peer-to-peer relationships as well as employee-to-boss relationships. Meaning: when we build trust and create safety, people are much more inclined to take us and our ideas seriously.
Read that again.
Trust and safety can be measured through oxytocin release. This is where things get really wild!
Paul Zak’s research team developed a mobile app called Six. It connects to most common fitness trackers such as an Apple Watch. And through heart rate patterns and signals, it can determine when oxytocin is released.
Again, oxytocin can help foster feelings of belonging and connectedness.
I’ve been experimenting with the app and measuring for myself when I’m in oxytocin-inducing situations and when it is inhibited. It’s a freaking treasure trove!
(I should say at this point that this isn’t some paid advertisement—I truly believe Six is a helpful tool.)
Let me give you a few examples from this week.
We hosted a ballot party with our adult children. This is a tradition in the Laping home, even before the kids could vote. We pull out the ballots, discuss the issues, and hear everyone’s point of view. And… my app lit up in a big way!
When your brain is working on something aligned to your values, and you are doing it with people you trust, you feel connected. Six calls this a key moment.
It’s no surprise my oxytocin was in overdrive. Why? Because I’m a political junky and love to learn other people’s perspectives. Most importantly, it was in a room full of people who love me and whom I trust.
Another example: I was talking with someone about a broken promise. There was no contrition. No attempt to remedy anything. Even worse, they were acting like a jerk. No surprise, my app was signaling that this was a very negative situation. And even though the person was technically very smart, their social cluelessness was a complete turnoff.
All of this matters in our careers, especially when we consider how others experience us.
Paul Zak found that no other factor determined our own personal influence on a team more than trust. Not title. Not credentials. Not tenure.
By measuring our brain chemistry, we have tangible, scientific evidence that we should pay attention to how we show up at work and how it affects whether people take our ideas seriously.
Unignorable will coach you on five evidence-based behaviors that build trust. I can’t wait for the big release and sharing all of this with the world.
In the meantime, I built a 3-minute diagnostic called the Unignorable Index that’ll help you see how you naturally score on those five trust-building behaviors. It’s free, and it’s yours. Get started here.
Your coach,
Chris
P.S. Here’s a link to learn more about Six. They have excellent data privacy standards, and it’s super easy to set up.
