There has been much debate among scientists regarding the reason for humankind's big brain. Or at least big compared to our body size and compared to all the other mammals.
Why is this? Why did our brains get so big, and not say, the Koala? Some will argue that because we are basically a nomadic species, we had to learn to adapt to different environments. But many are starting to think that our need for language is what drove our brain size.
So why then, did we develop language? Many animals migrate thousands of miles every year, and don't require any complicated speech.
When you think about language as a tool, it might be easier to understand. What do we use this tool for? Chopping down trees? Language may be the most versatile tool ever.
Most would say the purpose of language is to communicate information. Pure data, or streams of instructions and directions. How to get home, or find that great hunting spot.
Lately, many psychologists have started to wonder if language is really meant to be used to persuade others. To get others to go along with us. To convince our buddy to throw his spear at the mammoth, and risk getting him in trouble, rather than us.
If you could imagine remembering your first cries as a baby, were you merely letting those around you know that you were wet? Or were you attempting to influence the actions of those around you?
When you start to look at communication through the lens of persuasion, it might become easier to understand. Whenever you speak with somebody else, your words are designed, on some level, to influence the person you are speaking with. To get them to think, feel, or do something that will benefit you in some way.
So it makes sense, then, that if you are going to automatically use language to persuade others, you may as well get pretty good at it. When two people get together to talk, it may as well be you that has the upper hand.
One easy way to persuade others is to elicit and leverage the criteria of others. This means find out what is important to them, and show them covertly that they can achieve that by doing what you want.
Of course, it goes without saying that this is best done from a win-win mind set. If you set out to take advantage of people, you probably won't come out very well in the end. But when you make sure everybody gets their needs met, you can quickly become pretty persuasive. - 31521
Why is this? Why did our brains get so big, and not say, the Koala? Some will argue that because we are basically a nomadic species, we had to learn to adapt to different environments. But many are starting to think that our need for language is what drove our brain size.
So why then, did we develop language? Many animals migrate thousands of miles every year, and don't require any complicated speech.
When you think about language as a tool, it might be easier to understand. What do we use this tool for? Chopping down trees? Language may be the most versatile tool ever.
Most would say the purpose of language is to communicate information. Pure data, or streams of instructions and directions. How to get home, or find that great hunting spot.
Lately, many psychologists have started to wonder if language is really meant to be used to persuade others. To get others to go along with us. To convince our buddy to throw his spear at the mammoth, and risk getting him in trouble, rather than us.
If you could imagine remembering your first cries as a baby, were you merely letting those around you know that you were wet? Or were you attempting to influence the actions of those around you?
When you start to look at communication through the lens of persuasion, it might become easier to understand. Whenever you speak with somebody else, your words are designed, on some level, to influence the person you are speaking with. To get them to think, feel, or do something that will benefit you in some way.
So it makes sense, then, that if you are going to automatically use language to persuade others, you may as well get pretty good at it. When two people get together to talk, it may as well be you that has the upper hand.
One easy way to persuade others is to elicit and leverage the criteria of others. This means find out what is important to them, and show them covertly that they can achieve that by doing what you want.
Of course, it goes without saying that this is best done from a win-win mind set. If you set out to take advantage of people, you probably won't come out very well in the end. But when you make sure everybody gets their needs met, you can quickly become pretty persuasive. - 31521
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