Cross-modal brain functioning is a creative genius’s superpower. Making unique combinations and connections by bringing multiple senses together can be of great value.
I manage a very mild form of synesthesia, in which the simulation of one sense automatically triggers another. This phenomenon is innate and genetic. I discovered my “condition” in the dentist’s chair as a young adult while having my wisdom teeth removed. I didn’t know that I was experiencing something uncommon until the stress of the procedure triggered a notable reaction, which I later discussed with someone who knew exactly what I was experiencing.
However, it’s not just stress that activates my synesthesia. As far back as I can recall, I have associated certain sounds with color. In my case, seeing a color makes me hear a sound, while most others with synesthesia first hear the sound and then see colors. More challenging for me has been a lifelong experience of numbers taking on physical shape; this quirk of my brain has been, at best, a slight distraction, but at its most intense caused me to fail math tests in school. To this day, I have to spend extra energy on numerical data and information. These are innate experiences I’m discussing—not an acid trip or a hallucination, in case this is starting to sound like a Hunter S. Thompson essay.
But it’s not all bad! In fact, my synesthesia has taught me a lesson that is incredibly useful in leadership: firm barriers and strict categories can hamper creativity. The ability to see past dualistic distinctions and make unconventional associations is actually a superpower!
The ability to create a comprehensive and coherent solution from multiple simultaneous stimuli is known as multisensory integration. This skill can be cultivated (even if you don’t have synesthesia) and may be many leaders’ greatest opportunity for development. Most of us have spent our professional lives cultivating focus, which is undoubtedly essential to success. But we must admit that focusing too keenly and categorically also eliminates possibilities, opportunities, and information that could be useful to us in the long run.
If you’re interested in developing this skill, here’s my advice: engage in activities that purposely involve multiple senses simultaneously. This may be as simple as listening to music while writing or working a spreadsheet. Another example is taking a walk while on a phone call—any task requiring motion detection increases the brain’s visual function, and may lead to more effective dialogue. Believe it or not, some research is starting to demonstrate the benefits of scrolling pages on your phone while listening to a book, podcast, or music. Doing so is developing new neural pathways that may allow greater creativity to emerge!
Childhood psychologists have long noted the advantages of multi-sensory integration on brain development, and for decades have used sensory bins to increase children’ s capacity for learning. As adults, our neural plasticity is less flexible and receptive, but we too can benefit from this type of stimulation.
Keep in mind that the methods above are very different from “multitasking.” Multitasking is, by definition, divided attention; research has proven that the brain is incapable of completing two conscious tasks at once. Good “multitaskers” are simply those who can rapidly toggle their focus among various tasks.
Cultivating multisensory ability is focusing on one item (such as reading a book) while intentionally stimulating an additional sense (such as by playing music). In this example, we recognize the music, but the task is reading the book. It’s not “doing two things at one time,” but doing one thing with focus while intentionally stimulating one or more of your senses. It’s a subtle but crucial distinction: you are not reading and listening to music, but reading while hearing music.
Practices such as this have multiple benefits. They hone your focus, certainly—the additional stimulation might be distracting at first, although over time you will get better at focusing on the task. But it’s much more than that. The brain is an incredible machine full of unexplored routes and pathways. We often travel the same well-trodden paths out of habit, and are unaware of the immense potential of our creative minds. Multisensory integration unlocks trains of thought and levels of awareness that one-track thinking cannot. Leaders who cultivate this ability rarely miss an opportunity. They can connect the dots, be more inclusive in their thinking, and much more creative in their leadership.
If, like me, you’re interested in the fascinating connections between neuroscience and leadership, send me an email at [email protected].
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