This post focuses on social pain, an important deterrent to human renewal that does not get much press or debate. Yet it might be the difference between seeing a future for yourself and seeing nothing.
One recent finding from neuroscience is that human isolation and ostracism lead to activation of the identical regions of the brain that light up on fMRI with physical pain. Researchers now call this phenomenon social pain, and it is just as real and intense as physical pain. In fact, your pain center even activates when you are empathizing with someone else’s social pain (hence, you really do feel their pain). Social pain can be associated with physical illness.
What are the factors that cause social pain? They are exclusion from social connections or activities, actual or perceived rejection, bullying, or loss of a loved one. In his fascinating talks on exclusion based on race, minority status, and culture, neuroscientist Dr. Steve Robbins, who immigrated from Vietnam as a child, described the tremendous impact of that social pain as a distraction and drag on mental performance. Multiple studies have found that chronic pain hurts job performance and costs companies millions of dollars annually in lost productivity.
How does this relate to techno angst, our ambivalent feelings toward all things new and shiny? On one hand, we all love new technologies that allow us to do so many things we couldn’t do before (or even imagine we wanted to do). Technology has become genuinely indispensable.
On the other hand, we are starting to have fears (or at least gnawing concerns) about the obvious and not so obvious consequences, whether they be job displacement, loss of privacy, stunting of our kids’ social skills, inability to make sense of information overload, or worries about artificial intelligence.
I would suggest this causes social pain. In the next few decades, a large part of the population may start to realize they live on the wrong side of the digital divide. Facing constant technological change and trying to survive in a society seeking tech nirvana, they feel helpless, out of control, and increasingly disenfranchised. This leads to exclusion, isolation, and social pain.
Sometimes it takes a turn towards violence. In the Luddite movement of the early 19th century, displaced textile workers destroyed factory automation equipment and sent death threats to plant managers. Tensions subsided in 1817 only after six years of turmoil.
Like chronic pain, social pain throws a heavy shadow over behavior and performance. Have you ever found yourself isolated in a totally unfamiliar situation where you didn’t know the rules or expectations? Sometimes this happens with a new job or travel to a different culture. Social pain can handicap you as you strive to learn new rules, to integrate successfully. It can even become a self-fulfilling reason for poor employee performance.
Social and medical factors are often inextricably linked. Healthcare is currently focused on the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). Practitioners, payers, and government agencies have recognized that environmental and social conditions like neighborhoods, income, education, social networks, and many other factors play as much of a role in a person’s health as their medical condition.
The situation is similar with tech-driven job displacement. When implementing a program to reskill employees, the implementer will have to address the invisible social pain of technological isolation so that employees believe they can achieve parity and be part of the new world.
What can be done?
One approach is to pair an employee with a peer who is willing to act as a mentor, someone who has been able to adapt successfully under the same circumstances. When my healthcare system adopted an electronic medical record years ago, some physicians understandably had real difficulty with change.
Although it took time, mentorship turned out to be the most effective option as it was informal, practical, and based on a supportive relationship. It gave the physicians hope, accountability, and an attainable role model.
Online help forums are very popular precisely because experienced veterans can mentor and guide newcomers on an almost infinite number of topics, from playing video games to photography to home repairs.
Another strategy is to break up the reskilling into smaller pieces and have employees begin with easy first steps that achieve early success. This starts to dismantle the beliefs causing social pain, which improves learning and performance, and builds confidence.
Many books and online sites deal with the more general topic of innovation and change management.
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