“MISMATCH BOOK PRESENTATION”
How our stone age brain deceives us every day and what we can do about it
Award winning and bestselling author Ronald Giphart and Mark van Vugt (researcher at Oxford) will come to Dutch Centre to discuss there new book “Mismatch” on Wednesday 7 March.
The talk will be hosted by British journalist Anjana Ahuja, Science Columnist for the Financial Times.
Ever felt the urge to run and hide before a big presentation or enjoyed the cosy feeling of contentment as you curl up in front of a fire? Enter – Mismatch.
Mismatch is about the clash between our biology and our culture. It is about the dramatic contrast between the first few million years of human history – when humans lived as hunters and gatherers in small-scale societies – and the past twelve thousand years following the agricultural revolution which have led us to comfortable lives in a very different social structure. Has this rapid transition been good for us?
How do we, using our primitive minds, try to survive in a modern information society that radically changes every ten years or so?
If you’ve ever felt an anxious fight or flight response to presenting at a board meeting, equivalent to facing imminent death by sabre-toothed tiger, then you have experienced a mismatch. Our brains have evolved to solve the survival problems of our Stone Age ancestors, so when faced with modern day situations that are less extreme, they often encounter a mismatch. Our primitive brains put us on the wrong foot by responding to stimuli that – in prehistoric times – would have prompted behaviour that was beneficial.
Reviewed through mismatch glasses, social, societal, and technological trends can be better understood, ranging from the popularity of Facebook and internet porn, to
the desire for cosmetic surgery, to our attitudes towards refugees. Mismatch also gives us an insight into politics and policy which could enable governments, institutions and businesses to create an environment better suited to human nature, its potential and its constraints.
This book is about converting mismatches into matches. The better your life is matched to how your mind operates, the greater your chances of leading a happy, healthy and productive life.
Event details
- Date: Wednesday 7 March 2018
- English Spoken
- Time: 7.00 pm
- Doors open: 6.30 pm
- Tickets: £12, students £7,-.
- Location: Dutch Centre, 7 Austin Friars, London EC2N2HA
