Inspire Change SEASON 7-307 Neuroanthropology How Culture Shapes Your Nervous System

This week on Inspire Change...Gunter  

 #InspireChange #Philosophy #Science #Reflection #Contemplation #SelfDevelopment #Masculinity #MakingGoodMenGreat #stoicism 

This week we are launching some partnerships with some ad sponsors that promote well-being, wellness and natural products. This week we would like to introduce you to More Labs.  More Labs’ Morning Recovery is the #1 alcohol recovery supplement that helps you wake up clear-headed and refreshed. Clinically proven and trusted by thousands, with 20M+ bottles sold and a 4.9-star rating, it works. Try it risk-free! Enjoy an exclusive discount with our promo code https://www.morelabs.com/discount/INSPIRECHANGE Our code will be applied to your cart and you get a discount at any of the products at MoreLabs.com Their products are loaded with super ingredients—Milk Thistle, Prickly Pear, Red Ginseng, Electrolytes, and B Vitamins. It is Developed with top scientists—including Dr. Fu Chen, a former FDA expert in supplement absorption. MoreLabs products work better than sports drinks—targets toxin buildup and nutrient loss, not just dehydration. Their products are a clean formula—no artificial colors, sweeteners, or preservatives.  It is also portable & TSA-friendly—perfect for travel, work, or big nights out.

Hello to all our listeners, We thank YOU for tuning in and promoting positive social change.  This makes you a part of Gunter’s efforts in transforming not only men's lives but lives in general and we are grateful you have joined us.  This week we are taking a look at the Global Listeners List and for the FIRST time we would like to share our gratitude with our listeners in Pakistan. You were  #15 on our Global Listeners List! CONGRATULATIONS!!!  And thank you so much for your continued support. We appreciate your efforts to support positive social change!  I, DeVonna Prinzi the Co-Exec Producer and our Show-runner Miranda Spigener-Sapon sincerely thank you and ask that you please take the time to like, follow, subscribe, and share as your efforts make a difference to everyone here at Inspire Change with Gunter.   Please remember If you want to share your story of social change, feel free to reach out  to the show directly. Please see the show-notes for our contact information.
As always thank you to each and every one of our listeners, and most importantly please keep Inspiring positive social change.


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/inspire-change-with-gunter--3633478/support.

Gunter Swoboda and Lorin Josephson's neo-noir/supernatural thriller novel Amulets of Power, Book I A Brian Poole Mystery is officially ON SALE EVERYWHERE you like to get book, but if you want a discount please consider ording direct. ANY LISTENER who order's direct will get a surprise gift. https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=3RoOA6kVQ7ZgmqSK9LdnvNyDAZZFsg9IMaLUaprPgXK

Make sure you LIKE SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW our new Official YouTube Channel of Video Shorts series: https://www.youtube.com/@InspireChangewithGunterSwoboda/videos where we will be adding new videos and content every week from Gunter and our guests.  https://www.youtube.com/@InspireChangewithGunterSwoboda/videos

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, listeners, it's good to siboa here with some exciting news.
We're on the lookout for sponsors to join us on
our incredible journey with Inspired Change with Conta. If your
organization cares deeply about meaningful conversations around masculinity, self development,
and mental health, we'd love to partner with you. Our

(00:24):
podcast has a wonderful, dedicated audience committed to personal growth
and positive social change. By sponsoring Inspired Change with Conta,
your brand will connect with listeners who truly value thoughtful
discussion and support initiatives that promote real transformation. We're incredibly

(00:47):
proud to be ranked number one in Australia and number
five in the USA on feed spots top men's mental
health Podcasts. For more information on how to become sponsor,
please reach out to Miranda Spegner sap On, our showrunner
and executive producer. We'd love to explore how we can

(01:09):
work together to inspire change now. Thank you for your
continued support and let's keep inspiring change together.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
You are listening to Inspire Change, the broadcast that strives
to educate, motivate, and empower men to challenge traditions of
masculinity to guide us through the intricacies and intersections of emotions, relationships,
and male identity is renowned psychologists, author, and speaker Gunter Swubota.
This is Inspire Change.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
Before I begin the actual podcast, I would like to
respectfully acknowledge the gategor people of the or nation who
are the traditional custodians of the lane on which I work.
I would also like to pay my respects to their elders,
past and present. Welcome everybody to another episode of Inspired

(02:02):
Change with Gunter. I'm your host.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Hey, everyone, welcome back to Inspired Change with Gunter. This
is the place where we think, rethink about what strength, courage,
and connection looks like in everyday life. I'm your host, Gunnesswiboda.
I'm a psychologist, psychotherapist, researcher, and general sticky beak. So

(02:33):
what are we going to do today? I thought long
and hard about this, and given the fact that I'm
currently doing some fairly intense research at UNI, which I'm
thoroughly enjoying, I thought I touch on a topic that's
particularly relevant not just to my research, but also to

(02:54):
my work with men and the whole making good men
great project. You might be thinking about what the hell
is he talking about Well, I've spoken about philosophy, I've
spoken about science, and so I want to take a
dive into a specific field that conceptually feels new but

(03:18):
sort of have It's been around for a while. And
that field is neuro anthropology. Now, don't panic. I know
it's a mouthful, but it boils down to this, and
that is that the world you grow up in, the
people around you, the games you play, the way you're

(03:38):
taught to stand tall or to stay quiet, trains your
nervous system. Now, when I talk about nervous system, I'm
talking about your brain and the whole rest of the network,
the neural network through your body. Okay, and you don't
have to be an anatomust or you don't have to

(04:00):
be an anthropologist for this. Just follow me along and
see if this is going to make you not just curious,
but also give you some ideas about change. So when
I say it trains your nervous system, what are we
talking about Now We're talking not just about your opinions.

(04:26):
We're talking about your body, your reflexes, your breath, the
whole system and how it works. And that has huge
implications for how we show up as men as partners
as dads, friends and leaders. So in this podcast, I'm

(04:49):
going to do three things. I'm going to give you
a quick human sized history synopsis of neur anthropology. What
it adds to to the way we understand change, especially
in like case change in men, and why it matters

(05:11):
overall on the big picture of masculinity, and how to
start retraining those automatic reactions we think we have. And
while i'm at at, let me give you a shout
out to a friend of the show, Professor grub Downey.

(05:33):
He's been on the Spy Change before and he will
be coming back soon. I'll tell you more about correct
towards the end. So quick human bite sized history of
the field. Newer anthropology, from my reading, came from a
simple question, and that is how does culture get into

(05:57):
the body and the Brain's where Anthropology, the study of
people and culture, means neuroscience. So the two interconnect, and
so neuroscience, as you most likely know, is fundamentally the
study of the brain and nervous system. Now Here, here's

(06:21):
an easy way to picture this. Think about a surfer
learning to read waves, or a footballer learning to time
a tackle, or a musician feeling rhythm before a note
is played. After a while, it's not thinking anymore. The
body just knows.

Speaker 4 (06:40):
Right.

Speaker 1 (06:40):
The brain and nervous system gets tuned by practice, by coaching,
and through the community. Neuroanthropology says this isn't just about
sports and music. It's everything. How we stand when we're challenged,
how we breathe when we're stressed, the way we look

(07:03):
someone in the eye, how quickly we jump to fix
a problem rather than pausing to connect with the person.
The world we live in shapes those reactions. The training
is mostly invisible, but it's everywhere. So those of you

(07:24):
starting to think ahead, can you begin to see where
I'm going with this.

Speaker 4 (07:30):
Now?

Speaker 1 (07:30):
One of the researchers who made this reel for people
is Professor Greg Downey. He studied the Brazilian art of
capurea and showed that skill isn't only in your head.
It's about timing, posture, breath, gaze, and community rituals. In
other words, culture writes itself into our bodies. Once you

(07:54):
see that, you can't unsee this idea, and the key
idea is that what we call instinct often turns out
to be long practice. The habits we were coached into
the ones our body keeps going to on autopilot. Now,

(08:15):
this can be a really, really good thing, but in
some respects there's some flaws with us as well. Well,
you know, just think about the bad habits we get into.
So what does newer anthropology add to science and to

(08:35):
you know, the social sciences in particular, and in my case,
to psychology and psychotherapy. Well, the first bit is that
your body is part of the story. We're used to
treating the mind like a head only thing. Newer anthropology says,
hang on your breath, your muscle tone and the micromoves

(08:59):
a part of your mind in action. If you always
tighten your jaw in conflict, or your voice gets hard
when you need to feel soft, that's not just a quirk,
it's training. Your body has learned a move for that moment. Secondly,

(09:26):
practice beats pep talks. We all love a good insight,
but insights can fade under pressure or simply not occur
at all. Practice sticks. If your nervous system has learned
control first feelings. Later, you won't change it with a slogan,

(09:47):
an affirmation, or just some positive PEP talks. You change
it with reps, repetition, little practices that came your system,
open your attention and build a new default. Think of
it like learning guitar, slow, clumsy at first, then smoother

(10:09):
than natural. I love playing percussion. My favorite instruments in
percussion essentially are hand drums, congas, bongos, and more recently
the cahorn. Now, despite the fact that I have really,

(10:30):
you know, quite a bit of practice on congas and bongos,
when I got the cahorn, I went back to basics,
and it was actually interesting because I needed to remind
myself that begin this as if you were a beginner.
Engage the beginner's mind. Slowly, right, keep going slowly, because

(10:53):
I kept wanting to speed up, you know, on new rhythms,
I new patterns, let's just get down to it. But
I wanted to create this new sense of discipline so
that it, too, can become part of my body. So
it took quite a bit for me just to go, Okay,
let's start slow. Let's do that for ten minutes. Then

(11:15):
pick it up, do it for another five, maybe ten minutes.
See how you go, come back. Reflect. So this is
what practice is all about. Now. Interestingly, even our professional
styles trained. So for example, when you're a therapist, a teacher,

(11:35):
a coach, or a manager. You've been trained formally and
informally in how to sit, how to speak, and how
to steer a conversation. Now that style often carries a
gendered flavor without us noticing it. All right, whatever, interesting

(11:58):
ones is that when women act assertively, often men read
it as being aggressive. Okay, just a touch of that. Now,
some of us learn to lead with explanations, to fill
the science silence, to fix things fast. Remember, as men

(12:20):
were socialized to go from the problem to the solution,
and there's very little in between. This needs to change.
We need to learn to wait, to ENLiGHT, to reflect.
None of this is random. It's again trained into us

(12:42):
by the groups we belong to. When I teach men
better communications, the first thing that I focus on is
to try and help them stop the internal dialogue that's
jumping ahead to the solution. Oh right, not what she's
gonna say. Now you don't and even if you did,

(13:04):
but chance, guy quad got still empty mind. Now. Interestingly enough,
most guys that pick up on this and actually put
it into practice come back reporting how successful the new
conversation in new communication was with their partner I.

Speaker 4 (13:23):
Wanted to introduce you to the folks over at more Labs.
They have a product called Morning Recovery. It's the number
one alcohol recovery supplement that helps you wake up clear
headed and refreshed. Clinically proven and trusted by thousands, with
twenty million plus bottles sold and a four point nine
star rating on Google, it works. Try it risk free

(13:49):
and we will give you an exclusive discount for you
to enjoy with our promo code at more labs dot
com tells in links about the com their products will
be listed in the show notes, so please check there
for more information and also the direct link to our
promo code.

Speaker 1 (14:09):
Try this little teeny experiment for ninety seconds. Notice your
breathing is it high and shaller or low and easy?
Check your jaw and shoulders are they braced? Think of
a recent disagreement. Did you move towards control like here's

(14:36):
the answer, or did you move towards contact connection? So
tell me more about what's going on for you. That
quick scan shows you what your body has already learned
to do. Now the good news, anything we've learned can
be relearned. Now, let me go a bit more in

(15:00):
as to why this matters for being masculine and masculinity
many of us grow up with an old script, and
that is that competence equals control, So we get messages
like keep it together, don't show too much, you know,

(15:21):
find a solution quickly, and then be very certain about it. Now,
that script you've got to remember from what we're saying,
isn't just in your head. It's sort of baked into
your nervous system. So when your partner is upset or
your teenager pushes back, are a colleague challenges you, your

(15:46):
body may already be halfway into fix it, shut it
down and move on before your brain can even catch up. Now,
my suggestion is, let's use this knowledge and replace that
with a new training plan. And here are three simple pivots. Firstly,

(16:11):
try a curious pause before you speak, one deep inhale,
a longer exhil, and then a question like what's the
hardest part of this for you? That small pause cools
the system and opens the door to connection. I always

(16:33):
approach difficult conversation through a place of curiosity. It makes
a huge difference to the way that I'll feel myself
into the conversation. The second bit is take it from
armor to awareness. You know, pick one body queue, say

(16:55):
your jaw, that's often a good one, or your shoulders.
Let's go with a jaw. When you feel a clamp,
silently name it. That's the armor. Then deliberately soften it.
You haven't surrendered anything, You've simply chosen a different kind

(17:19):
of strength. Now, thirdly, we need to go from solo
autonomous to shared regulation. Now what do I mean by that?
Most of the time most of us stay focused on

(17:39):
trying to calm ourselves alone autonomously. Now my suggestion is,
try coregulation. So I can say I can slow down
to my partner. Do you want to set the pace?
Let the other person's rhythm guide the moment. It's amazing

(18:03):
how quickly tension drains when someone feels respected and followed. Now,
if you're a therapist, a coach, or a leader, this
stuffs gold. Learn to track your timing and tone. Reflect
Do you rush to explanations? Do you lean forward and

(18:28):
take over the space. So as an antidote, practice holding
a little bit more silence, let the other person shape
the conversation for a bit longer than is comfortable, And
that's how a new default gets built. So the bottom

(18:52):
line in this is that the way we do masculinity
shows up in the body, first contact, breath, posture, vocal pace,
even the resonance in our voice may be learned to
a large degree. Yes, you know, men's voices tend to

(19:13):
be deeper, but we learn how to deepen it. We
reflect that we mirror it, for example, from our father
and other men of authority. If we want a more courageous,
compassionate version of being a man of our masculinity, we

(19:34):
don't just swap ideas. We need to retrain the body
to support the man we're becoming. Say, as I'm heading
to the close of this particular podcast, which I hope
everyone's enjoyed, let me give you a quick word on
Professor Downey, Greg's and anthropologist who's helped a lot of

(19:56):
people understand how culture trains the nervous is to He's
known for his work on couple error and skill learning,
how communities and practice shape what our bodies can do
and how we feel doing it. Now, Gregg's joined us
before on Inspired Change, and if I have my way,
he'll be back on the show soon for a show

(20:18):
which is going to take a little bit of a
twist because he wants to interview me. But I'm sure
what's going to happen is that the two of us
are going to have a very satisfying, meaningful conversation. Now
part of that, I'm hoping that we're going to dig
into practical ways men can retrain the nervous system for

(20:40):
connection rather than control. Now that in itself will be strength,
the kind of strength that comes the room listens deeply
and still takes action. So keep an you're out. I'm excited,

(21:01):
particularly for that conversation. So to wrap it for today,
nero anthropology says your world trains your body, and your
body keeps that world going. In working in trauma, Bessel
of Undercold put it really really well when he says

(21:21):
the body keeps the score. But it's more than that.
It's an embedded, lived experience. Now, if we want to change,
we need to train differently. So this week, try the
curious pause, the soft jaw, and one moment of shared
pacing in a tough conversation. Small practice's big ripple effects. Now,

(21:49):
if this episode has helped you, please share it with
someone who's ready for a different kind of strength, for
a different kind of masculinity. You said that this is
also really useful for women because I live in a
gendered body as well. So please follow the show lev

(22:12):
writing and check the nights for quick summary and links
to past episodes, especially the one with Greg. I'm goun
to thanks for listening and keepe Inspiring Change.

Speaker 5 (22:25):
Hello to all our listeners. We thank you for tuning
in and promoting positive social change. This makes you a
part of Gunter's efforts and transforming not only men's lives,
but lives in general, and we are grateful that you
have joined us. This week, we're taking a look at
the global listeners list and for the first time, we

(22:46):
would like to share our gratitude with our listeners in Pakistan.
You are number fifteen on our global listeners list.

Speaker 6 (22:54):
Congraduations and thank you so much for your continued support
or We appreciate your efforts to support positive social change.
I Devanna Prinzy, the co executive producer and our showrunner
Miranda Speidner sapone sincerely thank you and ask that you
please take the time to like, follow, subscribe, and share,

(23:16):
as your efforts make a difference to everyone here at
Inspire Change with Gunter. Please remember if you want to
share your story of social change, feel free to reach
out to the show directly. Please see the show notes
for our contact information. As always, thank you to each
and every one of our listeners, and most importantly, please

(23:38):
keep inspiring positive social change.

Speaker 1 (23:41):
Love to hear from me, and if you're std please
check out my work on www Dot gotoboda.

Speaker 3 (23:51):
Dot com or www Dot gutman grit dot com.

Speaker 2 (23:58):
Thank you for listening to Inspire Change, a broadcast strive
to educate, motivate, and empower men to challenge traditions of masculinity.
For more information on the Making Good Men Great movement,
or for individual or group coaching censions with Gunter, visit
goodmengrade dot com