Cultivate and appreciate your Brodmann area 10, especially if you are churlish

The NY Times, Feb. 26, 2012, at BU4, wrote about a part of the brain called the Brodmann area 10. “This region of the frontal cortex is believed to be associated with our ability to make inferences about others’ preferences and beliefs based on their actions.” I take that to mean a person’s ability to “read” someone’s behavior and interpret what they value from their actions.

In-house lawyers, because some of them negotiate and because all of them deal with clients and other people, should appreciate the benefits of this aspect of emotional intelligence – the ability to empathize and read other people accurately. As this small item suggests, neuroscientists are moving gradually toward a fuller understanding of what makes us tick. This boringly named cluster of neurons has stimulating importance.