Unleash Your Primal Brain: Demystifying How We Think and Why We Act.

| Tim Ash, 2021

What’s It All About?

Understanding the past plays a powerful role in how we evolve, think, and behave. How can we learn more about our past and harness that information to improve the way we think and act? Find out in Tim Ash’s compelling book Unleash Your Primal Brain: Demystifying How We Think and Why We Act! Tim is an expert in evolutionary psychology and uses his expertise to explore and illuminate the “whys” behind our behavior—a journey which traces back to some of the earliest life on Earth!

It’s a complex topic, but Tim presents his insights in a concise and compelling way, with just the right of amount of brain science to back up his perspectives and insights. It’s clear Tim really understand the human brain and how it works, and I loved the way he used pop-up points to break up the text and make the information easier to digest.

While reading Unleash Your Primal Brain, I found myself thinking on a deep introspective level about my own behavior, like getting frustrated when I can’t remember moments in life. Tim explains the key components that help our brains remember an experience, like:

External stimulus
Past experience
Mental images
Body response

This is just a sample of one of the great insights you can learn in Unleash Your Primal Brain. If we could all gain awareness like this of our own brains and behavior, imagine the impact it could have in our workplaces and relationships!

Favorite Quote

“If you don’t get proper sleep on the very first night after learning, you will never consolidate the information, regardless of any subsequent “catch-up sleep”

Biggest Takeaway

Like a bookshelf, our brains can only hold so much. We can’t remember every face, fact, or experience, so our brains release thoughts and make room for news ones. This means that if you want to remember a moment, you need to combine emotion, novelty, and a multi-sensory experience to form stronger memories.

This insight from Unleash Your Primal Brain is a great reminder to be mindful of the information you take in. When you encounter new information, ask yourself:

Is this information important to me now and in the future?
What can I do to make it more accessible in the future?
Is this information I want to take up space in my brain?

For example, I like remembers statistics from the Minnesota Vikings, but I have to consider if remembering them means pushing out other valuable memories, like experiences of connecting with my daughter. By being mindful of the information I consume, I can make better choices and prioritize what’s important to me.

Bonus Information

After reading Unleash Your Primal Brain, you can find other great resources on Tim Ash’s website here.

Reviewed by: Trevor Blondeel, May 10, 2024

At Manufacturing Greatness, Trevor Blondeel works with manufacturers to connect the top to the shop. If you’re ready to improve your own organization, contact Trevor to learn how Manufacturing Greatness can help you build stronger leaders and develop a dynamic, high-performing workplace.

Mindfulness Manufacturing

Our show is about providing listeners with real stories that come from a place of experience, transparency, and authenticity. Most importantly it’s about what we learn from these stories and applying Mindfulness in our everyday work and personal lives.
Our intention is to create an environment where people can learn through open honest discussions on how we apply Mindfulness. Although our experiences and stories come from time in a manufacturing environment hence the title “Mindfulness Manufacturing”, we still see our discussions and topics relatable to any organization or profession.

In manufacturing, we’re all familiar with stress. But did you know that a lack of challenges and too much comfort can also have a negative impact on your health, mindset, and productivity? This is the core concept Paul Taylor presents in his great book Death by Comfort: How Modern Life is Killing Us and What We Can Do About It. As a former British Royal Navy crew member and a current Ph.D. candidate in applied psychology, Paul has in-depth knowledge about stress, resilience, and performance.

In this episode on stress, comfort, and psychological safety, Paul draws from his own experiences and research to delve deeper into why discomfort and challenging situations build confidence and resilience, plus shares some of his favorite methods for rethinking how you perceive stress and engage with your team.

2:20 – In manufacturing, stress can be inevitable, so you need to find the right level of stress in your environment 3:36 – You can use principles from physical fitness and apply them to stress management 7:11 – To stay healthy and keep a productive mindset, you need to balance stress and recovery 11:54 – When you practice self-efficacy and do hard tasks, it builds your confidence 16:21 – Uncomfortable yet necessary conversations play a key role in workplace environments 17:38 – To change and improve how you give feedback and have challenging conversations, use the SBI (situation-behavior-impact) model 18:36 – Use the OARS model for motivational interviewing to encourage open questions, affirmations, reflective listening, and summarizing 24:58 – Take time to understand your purpose and the impact of your work 24:58 – Don’t overlook the role of accountability in psychological safety

Connect with Paul Taylor Visit his website Listen to The Paul Taylor Podcast Buy Death by Comfort on Amazon or at your favorite bookseller Read my book report on Death by Comfort