The neuroscience of social intelligence: Bill von Hippel at TEDxUQ 2014

What is social intelligence? Psychology professor Bill von Hippel argues that the frontal lobes of the brain play a critical role in enabling socially intelligent behaviour. He describes research from his lab showing that seemingly trivial mental abilities stop us from doing the wrong thing and help us do the right thing in various socially challenging circumstances.
Bill von Hippel is professor and prior Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland. He received his BA from Yale University and his PhD from the University of Michigan. Bill has published nearly 100 articles and chapters across a wide range of topics. Bill is particularly interested in the neuroscience of social intelligence, and his work in this area has been reported in various media outlets, such as The Australian, USA Today, El Mundo, Newsweek, Fox News, NPR, BBC, CBC, and many others.
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[@chrisjohnson3731]

I will say this is interesting. Reading some of the replies, I think the message is lost. The key to social intelligence is understanding EVERYONE has a different map of reality. We were all handed down beliefs and values at an age when we had no critical fact to question them. Our beliefs and values shape the way we look at the world. If someone else says or does something we think is stupid, they are probably running a subconscious program they picked up as a small child. If you don't agree with someone, instead of saying "THAT'S DUMB!", ask them what has led you to believe that? That way you get a better understanding of their map of reality. Be well and THINK GOOD THOUGHTS.

[@deboyskyswuzzz]

Chris Johnson Brother what you're saying sounds really interesting. can you suggest some books on that topic for me ? or articles or video's.. thankyou

[@chrisjohnson3731]

Klaas, the fact that you are interested in learning means you have an advantage over so many other people. Learning is a life long process and those that stop learning cease to grow. You are either growing or you are dying. I am a certified children's self-esteem coach, a life coach and a hypnotist amongst other things. The fact about our beliefs and values being established at a very young age stems from the fact that when we are little children our brain, frontal lobe, hasn't developed and that means we are nothing but sponges absorbing all the information around us without the ability to question the beliefs being handed to us. We have these beliefs that are often handed down from one generation to the next without testing them to see if they are beneficial to where we want to go in life. I can tell you that I have inherited many limiting beliefs including a poverty consciousness from my mother who often said "we cant afford that" which was not the case. A very interesting field of study is NLP or neuro-linguistic programming. If you would like some info and pdf's I have you can email me at [e-mail] and I can comb through my vast library and send you some good stuff. Realize life is an illusion and is defined by how you label events and the meaning you attach to those events. The key is to realize that everyone sees things differently. Keep growing and let me know if you want some more info by emailing me. Have a great day!

[@erikrichardson9655]

Very insightful. Agreed.

[@karimhassan90]

Marvelous explanation you used a great metaphor when you said ( Different map of Realaity ) that`s it the case in a nutshell .. thanks so much for your deep explanation .. (Y)

[@chrisjohnson3731]

Glad I could be of service

[@Sam-81_98]

So be more tactful when communicating. Develop a greater sense of self awarenesses and self regulation and these can be mastered only by living in the moment.

[@Poojaverma-ul9gc]

Great sir... I've gone through your so many interviews also.. in social psychology course on EdX... Your way of explaining the topics are amazing...!!

[@RiaG777]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing.

[@jocosus]

Had the pleasure of taking two semesters of psychology courses by him while doing my undergrad at UQ. Still my favorite professor EVER.

[@Freedom0rBust]

Fascinating presentation. Thank you.

[@lordofudead]

I had the pleasure this guy as my Lecturer for a week for my Psychology Degree, his topic was Happiness at the UQ university in Brisbane. Absolutely amazing guy. he was a little rushed in this speech but is otherwise a fantastic speaker. we need more people like him teaching.

[@celinak5062]

Nezara +

[@winnie5256]

Thank you Bill ❤️

[@BrigSushilBhasin]

This is not only interesting but also inspiring and convincing

[@sportneys5496]

Great Presentation!!

[@hayo207]

This happened to me after a brain injury in a Harley accident. I had a temper problem and people around me didn't tolerate me but I worked no my self and I hope am getting better now

[@marshacreary9771]

Fascinating

[@KamoHaze]

VERY INFORMATIVE

[@SarahVision]

Great video.... Not kidding, I believe this will help give me a lot more patience with my mother who has alzheimer's and who had been in 2 major car wrecks.... I can't imagine what her frontal lobe looks like :-/ Thanks for the talk. Very interesting stuff

[@PROofHAPPYWHEELS]

Sorry to hear that.

[@janina873]

Sarah Christine ♥️

[@alfmar95]

The reason why it's so hard to do the right thing in social settings is because we all have needs. We all have the been to be listened too, to have their opinions accepted by other people etc.. and by doing those right actions, you're kind of satisfying these for the other person. Making them like you. And others and just habit, it can be trained

[@TROOP235]

Wow... Amazing Talk

[@jayrich6532]

The problem is, most people don't want you to succeed. for many reasons. Sometimes because they didn't think of it themselves or simply because they dont understand it. They have no knowledge or experience in what it is your talking about, so instead of asking questions and encouraging you. They get defensive and negitive. Normally this makes you not feel so good, but in fact, this should be your motivation

[@wayneforde6609]

In my opinion the answer to this problem is very simple because all learning starts in the home . And so many people are thought hate in they home school religious institutions ect directly and indirectly which in turn shape they personality not to be good or great social people. You are 100% correct been intelligent educated or smart about life don't equal good social skills.

[@eppid818]

I'd like to hear his thoughts about social intelligence and mental illness, why people with anxiety or schizophrenia have impaired social functioning, even though those people have high social intelligence.

[@What-sr2pk]

I used to cut my arms. I went to doctor and he asked me if I wanted to die. I said "there is no point in dying if I am going to die some day anyways". When I said that he told me "Your frontal lob is in good function". By that time I didnt understand why he said that. Now I do. In that situation where I was so broken and causing selfharm, for me to reverse that situation and act on it is actually reversal learning..

[@CarolineGoldsmithPsychologist]

The Carnegie book How to Win friends and Influence People has sold 15 million copies. Astounding. However this was the forerunner of social intelligence study. Professor Von-Hippel gives a brilliant overview of social intelligence and effective communication. Phineas Gage is probably the most famous neuroscience patient as it taught so much about areas of the brain that control frontal lobe functions. Caroline Goldsmith

[@celinak5062]

assessination ireland +

[@ndndndnnduwjqams]

William Von Hippel predicts among us 2020

[@kenzabenbiga4058]

oh my lord, this is a brilliant perspective! So technically reversal learning irl will change with people, u can get a reward ( laugh) with a joke with X but get a punishment ( cringe) from a Y person with the same joke... it's not that the joke wasn't funny or was funny, it solely depends on the others, so using social skills is basically testing the many social strategies you have learned with different people and classify them ( reversal learning, reward or punishement) so u won't act inappropriately with someone.. Then again that seems to be a lot of work imo, people are far from stable and are constantly changing, not only you have to use reversal learning on different people but on the person itself since many factors can affect the reward/ punishment system, such as mood, illness etc.. and then to learn this on a subtle level seems even harder.. well practicing social skills I guess, with time you'll develop a better intuition. This seems like a good starting point, thank you!

[@nicholaslinder6828]

wring out that feedback frequency jeez

[@AcerbusCastus]

So pretending in order to be polite is social intelligence? How about being authentic even at the risk of offending? How about owning to your emotions and allowing others to own theirs?

[@disconductorder]

I understand the whole being "polite" thing, but I got sick of doing that and began being honest even though i was well aware of the social repercussions.

[@TheCharmIsGlobal]

So this is why Chip Kelly got fired by the Eagles. The team owner said he lacked "emotional intelligence."

[@Angelicaarchangelica]

As you mentioned in the beginning, don't criticise, don't condem and don't complain. Encourage people to talk about themselves. Common sense rules of successful interaction, however, if you don't mind me asking for your opinion, as a person who always instinctively follow those rules, what happens when you are so good at that to a point where you hear awful and even unlawful confessions or when you are so gracious that people find in themselves to attempt to walk all over you because you will not say anything about it. Eventually, one has to respond firmly, just to be missinterpreted, quite a cunning game, use to work well on 1950's house wives 🤭

[@MrTyrant258]

I think it would be safe to say that you shouldn’t filter yourself unless it breaks the social rules of the group you find yourself in.

[@LORDSIRVU]

The world will never be perfect because humans enjoys playing mind games with each other. We need to change the world and lest bullshit.

[@AndresGomez-ct7qb]

Isn't there quite a massive difference between mind games and social experiments for psyochological research?

[@zeinkenjo1997]

Can anyone tell me what do we call this phenomena? The phenomena is controlling an entire social group when entering their environment or area like a school or college or a building.

[@kimberley1235]

Having good frontal lobes allows us to do what we know we should. I need to be reminded. Please reply so I remember.

[@TERRENCEJJR]

Here's your reminder.

[@kimberley1235]

@@TERRENCEJJR Thank you 💕🙂

[@salih8586]

I couldn't understand this can Anybody give a brief summary

[@MB-su4tr]

so 2 people read a book "how to make friends" and both understand it. but one person ends up making friends, and the other does not. like they're both are smart, but only one is actually able to use his knowledge. the guy in the video argues those are different kinds of intelligence.

[@cougarlittlefield7822]

awesome and what is the UFO flying at 10:03?!

[@damienmura7425]

+Cougar Littlefield That's a duck

[@Swwatter]

It's a drop bear.

[@weili1963]

Good reversal learner is only one factor of social intelligent

[@seanhennessy7200]

Hmm I don't like that he keeps saying some people can't hold back from saying what they want to say even though they know it's wrong. I think it would be more likely that a lot of people just care more about themselves than most other people. They don't care what that person they're offending thinks of their reply. The whole idea of being socially intelligent all the time would hurt your self confidence because you would never stand up for what you think is right.

[@pandalvr2003]

who is in charge of the audio! smh!!!!!!!

[@giawarnerMA]

I'm unsure as to why he suggest that following the rules is difficult. It has never seemed challenging for me but perhaps that is why people have often commented on how easy it is for me to make friends. Honestly never considered that the type of behavior he is describing as social intelligence could be neurological and not a learned behavior.

[@murraywebster362]

So,.. if you really think that chicken foot is disgusting, you make up an excuse not to eat it, i.e. intentionally deceive/lie. That's social intelligence? Perhaps if you are good at lying, if not then you'll cause more offence.

[@HaNa-hh8vd]

It’s all about delivery. Figure out a way to tell the truth while minding the other person’s feelings.

[@murraywebster362]

@@HaNa-hh8vd so, just learn how to be polite - like my 93 year old mum told me all those years ago.

[@user-fs5fc1vv7y]

well doesnt it all depends on what is deemed the right way to respond

[@duncandurman2973]

no

[@collinsmugodo380]

LarsManden the ways that contributes the most positively to the well being of others. and there can be multiple

[@josevalencia5145]

👍🏽

[@gallomphrattlebone329]

The map is not the territory

[@Tomonkey4]

Well, I guess I found out what my social problem is... I have a small frontal lobe I guess. But hey, at least I'm intelligent, right?

[@eviebernal2913]

LOL

[@geraldpatchen2866]

Good video. Avoid distractions.. Focus your mind.. Memorize everything like a super computer. Just go and search google *_Linda Brain Power System_*

[@janina873]

@10:02 🦢💕

[@88HaZZarD88]

Here from Joe Rogan

[@blaiseposmyouck7999]

Question : can we increase our social intelligence while staying alone ?

[@sophiedehaan9687]

what is the sound of one hand clapping?

[@celinak5062]

blaise posmyouck mindfulness? And using Sheldon as an example when teaching autistic children

[@What-sr2pk]

That is actually when you start being curious about social system. Because when you are alone you observe others alot. So yes you can be alone and develope your skills. Magic trick is to try to set your mind into the other ones mind. When you know what move your opponent is going to make next, you can predict what move is the right move.

[@jillhampton1789]

I was with you up until the last sentence. Being able to set your mind into the mind of others, positively, means having empathy. The ability to feel the emotions of another person involves this social intelligence. Where you've labeled others as "the opponent", empathy labels them as just another person who deserves respect and the chance to be heard. "Predicting the right move" is at best accomplished by luck or narcissitic tendencies. Social Intelligence doesn't rely on any predictions. S.I. involves skills that are deeply rooted in authentic concern for others. Authentic concern and respect for others is felt by those who are around a socially intelligent person. The S.I. person in return is privy to details the not-so-SI's have to guess at and predict. The SI isn't out for them self. They're just not focused on what they can get from other people.

[@antebellum606]

So all I need is a new brain. thank you. There's still hope. one day I will attract a walking ape woman that will satisfy my nutritional needs.

[@salenikola7881]

confusing

[@Shmannel]

Depends on their "social" power

[@laravolg8582]

UFO flying at 10:03

[@MsJoliegirl]

It’s not hard to admit your faults just get over yourself (ego, Pride) it’s quite obvious when your being wrong so if you can’t be genuine then your not going to get far

[@carlhagen1069]

Share Your Thoughts; The neuroscience of social intelligence.......... From Website; 'BeyondLongevityUntoImmortality'.,....A saying goes 'what is important today'? To enable my socially intelligent'-is to achieve a great number of business costumers., or the amount of commission only sales pay check., What's yours today? What is socially effective today for yourself?

[@kattenthesaurus1832]

sociopathic criteria mimicking to achieve the preference of social status gain like no inhibiting conscience

[@lucasliam8238]

Well I can see why Dale Carnegie is more famous

[@eyyoo21w83]

We want arabic translations

[@sbklein]

Simplistic analysis for the semi-literate masses. Psychology on the march. Can't wait to retire from this intellectual miasma of half-baked inferences.

[@AndresGomez-ct7qb]

Well, it is a TED talk after all. It was never going to be an in-depth discussion and review of a study.

[@Angelicaarchangelica]

Why provoke and sabotage people for fun?? That in itself should be what is socially highly inappropriate. I am not critical, I am questioning whether the person being sabotaged and/or provoked would be more of a socially appropriate staff if he or she allowed others to keep on provoking and sabotaging without criticising, condemning or complaining or if that would be considerate an idiotic response in itself, why would anyone with a well developed frontal lobe accept being sabotaged and provoked for the fun of others, seems to me like a sadistic perpretator and a masokist subject.

[@richl9268]

guess what at least for a young man the world does not WANT you to be all respectable and deferential and observant and listening. The world respects action. I learned the hard way, as a young man.

[@weewilly2007]

The pertinent information ACTUALLY being "leaked" or seeded here to me, is organizations involved in scientific experiments into human behavior have no qualms about deception and "cover stories". Which they then reveal to the public at a later date as standard practice it seems. The same thing being shown here with this talk too looks like. Surely as a means to engender mistrust, while creating an infinite feedback loop involving theories of mind. E.g. if I know that he knows that I know that he knows etc. Bogging down the mind so that there's little wonder that inappropriate behavior or blind spots becomes the order of the day. Other outcomes like loss of trust and confidence, growing paranoia, animosity and hostility, greater willingness to deceive across the population, can also be expected. Especially if done over and over again and is the standard set by those in charge That's where setting up limiting or deterring forces, to prevent individuals from resorting to the same techniques of deception, diversion and misdirection that authorized groups do, becomes important. So that it becomes a less than ideal "do as I say, and not do as I do" scenario. Although, what a person can and cannot do, or what a person should and shouldn't do does vary of course, from person to person, depending on a host of matters. So that maybe the pertinent question in such circumstances is how necessary was the deception, and did the benefits outweigh the costs at the end of the day? I wonder if scientists and experimenters themselves are equipped to do such auditing and inventory on this matter

[@laneydeanwill]

It was socially inappropriate to lie to the people in your experiment.

[@amirrahiminia2556]

In reversal learning, the individual first learns to make a discrimination, such as choosing a black object in a black-white discrimination problem, and then is supposed to learn to reverse his choice- i.e., to choose the white object. These sort of scenario is not realistic in everyday life as the speaker claims. The question is why there is a motivation for the ones developed these method and what they will truly achieve ir-respective of labelled claim in it's success on an operation? Come up with true answer for that, you will be enlighten. When a human moves from manipulating and assembling mater to another one of the same species to get his/her wants even easier through others, it is an attempt to fulfill the cause of the existence of the inherited effect from primitive form, called "The tendency of position".

[@Shmannel]

Social intelligence == big shrimp

[@MrLargonaut]

Lol this sounds interestingly like a sermon about the source of the knowledge of good and evil...

[@johnterry6541]

There was no actual message in this talk. The guy is talking as if this is a sprint of ideas instead of a meaningful Ted talk. It's not even very scientific. He is associating social intelligence with IQ and brain size while it is actually a matter of EQ.

[@enzopatrick489]

Does Rotogenflux Methods really work? I notice many people keep on speaking about Rotogenflux Methods. But I'm uncertain if it's good enough to improve your IQ in a short period of time.

[@redrock1963]

............"encourage others to talk about themselves, don't criticize condemn or complain, when wrong admit it"........For people who don't fit a "preferred physical image", doing these things without some display of personal confidence and self strength will get relegated to being subordinate. Where as people will tolerate a lot from individuals who have positive physical traits. It is primal and instinctive. If this was not the case hot chicks would partner wimpy guys because they are not drawn into impulsive behaviour and so can be good "nesters" and so are good for them, and Jocks would go for the homely girl because she is intelligent and has a well rounded personality and could bring out the best in him. But it's not that way. We are after all animals that still operate on a subconscious primitive level.

[@kattenthesaurus1832]

give email drugs n a doctor's note. or suffer. ;)

[@rooftopkorean6995]

Here because of Joe rogan...

[@karavelasquez3020]

Hello there, I want to know if Rotogenflux Methods, will really work for me? I see many people keep on speaking about this iq course.

[@vincentmack37]

Snoooooooze

[@sadhansarker9945]

Has anyone tried Rotogenflux Methods? (do a google search) I've heard many awesome things about this iq course.

[@satishtamrakar6276]

What is Rotogenflux Methods? Does it work? I hear lots of people improve their IQ in a short period of time with this iq course.

[@emmysrone6510]

What exactly is Rotogenflux Methods? How does this thing really work? I notice lots of people keep on speaking about this iq course.

[@FreddyFuFu]

Pseudo-science even Joe Rogan can debunk with minimal preparation.

[@SarahVision]

Great video.... Not kidding, I believe this will help give me a lot more patience with my mother who has alzheimer's and who had been in 2 major car wrecks.... I can't imagine what her frontal lobe looks like :-/ Thanks for the talk. Very interesting stuff

[@seanhennessy7200]

Hmm I don't like that he keeps saying some people can't hold back from saying what they want to say even though they know it's wrong. I think it would be more likely that a lot of people just care more about themselves than most other people. They don't care what that person they're offending thinks of their reply. The whole idea of being socially intelligent all the time would hurt your self confidence because you would never stand up for what you think is right.

[@JKeenLow]

I agree. For example, when he says the Australian "has low social intelligence because he's incapable of controlling himself when he says the chicken foot is repulsive", how is he not to conclude that the Australian just doesn't care? Who's to say the Australian wouldn't have done well at the reversal learning? Further, who's to say what is more "intelligent", when many people would prefer the honest person? Honesty is efficient. I, personally, appreciate not wasting the things I like on someone who won't admit they don't even like it. I think he is doing good research with good direction, but I think he is generalizing and jumping to conclusions with what his findings are.

[@AndresGomez-ct7qb]

I think you both might be misunderstanding what he said and digressing into somewhere else. His point about inability to hold back seems to be a reference to people with, for example, anger issues that can feel themselves about to lost their temper and, in spite of not wanting to and knowing it's counterproductive, still do...

[@MB-su4tr]

no, those people do not possess self-awareness. if they let their emotions own them they'll suffer, not people around them.and they don't understand it.

[@linjaislam6463]

Anybody tested out the Rotogenflux Methods (do a google search)? We've noticed several amazing things about this popular course.