In our Innovation workshops, we talk about the Gator-Brain (aka "reptilian brain," aka "brain stem") as a being a danger to newness and innovation, as a result of the "fight, flight or freeze" reaction that is hard-wired to respond first to anything that looks like it might disrupt the safety of the status quo.
Well, taking on a dangerous assignment, a Wall Street Journal reporter set off on a task to find out if someone wearing Ohio State University clothing would be more hated in Ann Arbor, MI, than someone wearing University of Michigan clothing in Columbus, OH. For those that don't know, this is one of the fiercest rivalries in college football. When I lived in Columbus many years ago, I helped a friend put pro-OSU signs on his car, because his vehicle still had the Michigan license plates on it from his home town, and he feared damage to the vehicle from vehement fans.
Well, it turns out that the gator-brain is not colorblind, and that the intrepid reporter (who we hope received well-earned hazard pay) was treated poorly in both cities when he intentionally performed "annoying tasks," such as asking for directions, trying to receive service in a restaurant and making an overly complicated coffee order.
You can find his conclusions of which fans were less likely to over-ride their gator brains (Hint#1: the more polite team won the game. Hint #2: my mother will be disappointed) at: http://bit.ly/7jv3nr
(For the record, as I write this, I'm watching crowds of purple (Northwestern) and Red (Wisconsin) stream toward the impending kickoff at the relatively sedate Northwestern Ryan Field football stadium. As an adjunct professor at Northwestern, I am obligated to say, "Go Wildcats!" Yep, my gator brain isn't colorblind either!).
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