In fact, in some subjects who watched unfair players receive shocks, the part of the brain connected to pleasure and revenge lit up instead.5 The bottom line? We are wired for empathy, but only toward those who we believe are behaving well. What does this have to do with feedback? When we are receiving feedback that feels unfair or off base, when we feel underappreciated or poorly treated, our empathy and curiosity may be neurologically turned off. So listening during a tough feedback conversation won’t come naturally. Even those of us who are generous listeners in other contexts may have
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