Gregory Berns

Distinguished Chair of Neuroeconomics at Emory University

Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently

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THE LATEST: NYTimes Op-Ed: "In Hard Times, Fear Can Impair Decision-Making": "Just when we need new ideas most, everyone is seized up in fear, trying to prevent losing what we have left." Keep reading.

A pioneer of neuroeconomics, Gregory Berns uses brain-scanning technologies to explain the decision-making process of human minds. He is highly sought after by political, corporate and policy leaders to speak on decision-making and, increasingly, the science of innovation. What makes true innovators so creative, so successful -- and so rare? What makes them tick? And how can we learn to be a little more like them? In his new book, Iconoclast, Berns answers these timeless questions with surprising insights into the human brain. Dan Arielly, (Predictably Irrational), praises the book for "[helping] us understand the underlying processes that either hinder or encourage creativity."

Gregory Berns is the Distinguished Chair of Neuroeconomics at Emory University, where he is a professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Economics, and at the Gouzueta Business School. The field he has helped put on the map, Neuroeconomics, is, fittingly, a blend of neuroscience, economics and psychology. In his work, he is breaking ground in everything from the biological roots of political conflict to predicting which teenagers are likely to make fatally bad judgements. Even better, he possesses a rare ability to translate dense technical material for a general audience. He has been profiled -- and his work has been ecstatically reviewed -- in The New York Times, Forbes and The Wall Street Journal, as well as other leading business and science publications. In addition to Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently, he is also the author of Satisfaction: The Science of Finding True Fulfillment.

Gregory Berns Speech Topics

Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently

What, in your brain, gets in the way of producing innovative ideas, and what can you do about it? In this talk, Greg Berns shows you -- by looking to Iconoclasts. Indispensible to any organization, yet hard to find, Iconoclasts do things that others say can’t be done. So what makes them so creative, so astoundingly successful? Discussing innovators in art, business and politics -- people who do things differently -- Berns reveals how Iconoclast overcome mental barriers that stop most of us cold: flawed perception, fear of failure, the urge to conform, and the inability to persuade others. He also looks at how to attract, nurture and manage iconoclasts in your company, while offering tips on how to structure teams of creative people. Finally, laying out practical actions, he helps you become more of an Iconoclast yourself– to understand your potential, to move beyond your limitations, to expand your social intelligence, and to innovate more freely and creatively.

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Iconoclast

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