The Maximized Brain and the Mindsets that Limit Us
A visualisation of Big Think's interview with King's College London Neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff.
As a visual learner my natural preference is for dynamic deliveries of information.
Whether it’s through vivid storylines, animated communication, or striking visuals— the more visceral, the more likely the knowledge will leave an impression.
Assuming I am not alone with this preference, below is a visualisation of Big Think’s interview with Anne-Laure Le Cunff.
I’ve watched, listened, and re-read both the video and transcript multiple times to cement the learnings in my mind, as honestly these lessons are gold!
If you prefer you can access the original interview or the full transcript, otherwise please enjoy my visual distillations below.
Society promotes a “maximized brain” mentality that tends to compel us to pursue overly ambitious goals that’s often grand or impressive—often only to seek external validation and approval from others.
This then leads to overwhelm, burnout, and often abandoned projects, as there’s a disconnection and a lack of personal connection to the purpose of the pursuit.
We’ve been conditioned to equate success with going big—like changing the world, writing a book, starting a startup, finishing a marathon, or going to the gym every single day—but this often can lead to paralysis or burnout due to unrealistic expectations.
In a fast-paced world, we’re experiencing cognitive overload due to rapid societal changes, productivity pressures, and information hoarding.
We consume excessive amounts of information in a bid for control. We falsely believe that with more information we’ll have more certainty.
Three subconscious mindsets that stop us from living happy, intentional, and conscious lives:
Cynical Mindset:
Low curiosity, low ambition.
Characterized by a loss of hope and drive, often mocking those who are still curious or ambitious.
Leads to behaviors like doomscrolling, negativity, and feeling stuck in survival mode.
Escapist Mindset:
*I am noticing this mindset limiting me in some areas in my life—and perhaps how I can strategize to improve or even free myself from these self-limiting beliefs.*
High curiosity, low ambition.
Involves being interested in new things but avoiding responsibilities and ambitions.
Manifests as retail therapy, binge-watching, or fantasizing about escape rather than taking action.
Perfectionist Mindset:
High ambition, low curiosity.
Driven by the need to achieve and control, but lacking openness to new experiences.
Results in overwork, toxic productivity, and self-coercion, believing happiness will come only after achieving goals.
The good news is that mindsets are not fixed, they are not permanent personality traits—they are fluid. Mindsets can evolve in response to our circumstances, emotional triggers, and personal commitment to growth.
But it’s only by first becoming aware of which mindsets are operating in us, labeling our emotions, and then can we become conscious to make the appropriate changes to shift towards more favorable outcomes.
According to Anne-Laure Le Cunff, awareness of the mindsets that operate within us is the first step toward conscious living.
The dream, of course, is to build a life that’s more about prioritizing internal fulfillment over external validation by discovering the freedom in living a life for ourselves and our truest desires.
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