People care because our triune brain, has an emotional side. This emtional side or emotional brain it is kept in balance by our neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters are also known as the fast chemical messengers, and enable neurotransmission in the limbic (emotional) brain. These chemical messengers will have ups and downs equaling the trade offs of life. So basically, our brains are on drugs pretty much all the time. When using emotion during learning it will make a direct synapse connection and create deeper learning, compared to gradual creation of connections when using repetition. No matter what our emotions are, the triune brain powered by the neocortex still enables free will. But when threatened (out of balance) our primal reptilian brain takes over and goes for flight or fight.
Cortisol: Changes our body’s priorities. It sacrifices certain long-term capabilities, for the sake of other short-term ones that focus on getting maximum efficiency in the avoidance behaviors fight, flight, and freezing up. It creates fear when it surges in, anxiety or stress when it dribbles in.
Noradrenaline: Gives you energy, but during stress can lead to a fight reaction.
Adrenaline: Does not cause happiness, it helps you to handle an emergency in the form of flight.
Endorphin: Is released during exercise and laughter to mask pain. Also released when eating chocolate and stretching. The danger lies in self inflicting pain.
Dopamine: Is released when reaching goals, finding things and accomplishments, it grabs out attention. The first high is the best, creating a craving for more … wanting to reach the next level, so going for small victories, with pro social awards is a best practice.
Oxytocin: Is a hormone that is slowly released when bonding, during relationships and belonging. This chemical is generally exploited by gangs. High stress is an oxytocin inhibitor.
Serotonin: Is released by sunshine, during recognition, pride, physical contact and confidence given by others. It lets you sleep well while our Mirror Neurons make us want to copy other peoples success.
Endorphines and Dopamine are linked to Extrinsic Motivators driven by a selfish I in the search for personal gain.
Oxytocin and Serotonin are linked to Intrinsic Motivators driven by a selfless WE in the search for success.
In an eLearning module you can repeat your content in multiple ways, this to establish learning or creating synaptic connections. However connecting your content to emotions is more worthwhile as it creates instant synaptic connections. Give out random rewards and badges to stimulate dopamine. Make the elearning fun, entertaining, but surely make people laugh to stimulate endorphine release. Use leaderboards and forums to activate the intrinsic motivation powered by oxytocin and serotonin.
A Nice example of this, is the adobe eLearning Community, can you spot the ways how they try to release your emotional brain? Let me know in the comments below …
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The use of the bell – on topics posted or material commented on. This increases excitement and engagement. Also, levels, points, and rewards for contributing. Great post!
Correct the Adobe eLearning Community at first tries to connect to your emotional brain by releasing dopamine in the form of attention (bell) and rewards. The risk is, that contributors will only produce content as long as there is a sufficient reward. But since this is a community, reactions of peers create intrinsic motivation in the form of bonding and recognition. So it is important that the intrinsic motivation takes over before the extrensic motivation looses his effect.
Well said – networking is key.
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