THE LAST 100 YEARS —OUR FOUR CHARACTERS AND THE INFLUENCE OF TECHNOLOGY
Our brains exist in an ongoing state of evolution that is shaped by both our nature and nurture. Perhaps unexpectedly, the development of technology has completely shifted the way in which we train our brains to learn, ultimately altering what we value and how we choose to live. It is my intention here to paint in broad and sweeping strokes a generalized portrait of the social and cultural trends that occurred in the United States over the last 100 years as they relate to how technology has impacted the expression of our Four Characters.
I will present this material chronologically through the filter of the generations. Regardless of where in the world you were brought up, generational differences are real, and the advancement of technology has perhaps made more of an impact on our brain’s development than we would have assumed. When it comes to relationships, when we know better, we do better. Hopefully these insights into why and how we are different will help us navigate our personal and professional relationships with more compassion.
In preparation for this chapter, I interviewed dozens of people representing the different generations that I mention here. Fortunately, during the time of this writing a very good friend resided in an assistedliving establishment for the elderly, offering me a plethora of chatty companions from both the G.I. and Silent Generation populations. From there I reached out to my friends of all ages, and my academic colleagues opened up their classrooms so I could score some amazing conversations.
As a result, this conversation about the Four Characters and how they relate to the different generations, and the influence that technology has had on our brain over the last century, will begin with a look at the G.I. Generation who fought in World War II. I will chronologically follow that population with the Silent Generation, who were a small but significant group of people born during the difficult time between the Great Depression and World War II (1928 to 1939).
From there we will explore what life was like for the massive group of Baby Boomers who were born immediately postwar (1946 to 1964), primarily to the G.I. Generation. Next comes the smaller Generation X (born between 1965 and 1976), who were predominantly the offspring of the Silent Generation. The Baby Boomers then gave birth to the enormous population of Millennials (born between 1977 and 1996), followed by Generation X’s offspring, called Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2010), who are teenagers and young adults at the time of this writing. Today’s children are classified as the Alpha generation (born from 2010 on).
The specific dates that are associated with each of these generational time frames are not absolute, as they vary a little depending on which source you reference. In addition, for those who were born during the transitional years between one generation and the next, the generational group that a specific individual falls into depends on which external factors had the most impact on that individual’s life.
THE G.I. GENERATION: CHARACTER IS UNITED FOR A CAUSE
The G.I. Generation was born between 1901 and 1927. They endured the social and economic devastation of World War I (1914 to 1918), the pandemic of the Spanish Flu (1918), the financial devastation of the crash of the stock market (1929), and its aftermath, the Great Depression (1929 to 1939).
By the time World War II began in 1939, this G.I. Generation had come of age. Many stopped whatever they were doing in their lives to join the workforce and support the war effort. Both overseas and in the factories here at home, the men and women of the G.I. Generation came together for a cause by organizing their efforts, learning new skills, and fighting for what they believed was right. As strong Character 1s, this generation joined forces, consolidated their means, coordinated their efforts, and melded into a home team that was willing to give up their lives for the love of their family and country. Their single objective was to fight for their freedom and literally save the world from the unconscionable threat of the Nazi regime. Thank goodness this generation stepped up to the challenge in the way they did, so we could live as free Americans.
The G.I. Generation learned left-brain skills using traditional teaching tools that included books for reading, writing, and arithmetic. However, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census statistics listed in 120 Years of American Education: A Statistical Portrait, in 1940 fewer than 30 percent of white males and females ages 25 and older had finished four years of high school. [3] The percentage for Black people and those of other races was less than 10 percent. What this means is that by far the majority of people in the U.S. in 1940 learned life’s lessons not from books but through hands-on learning, which happens in the right brain. Therefore most folks’ right brains were well trained to learn skills through either apprenticeship or other experiential strategies. Consequently, the G.I. Generation established a well-balanced economy and society, based on the values of both their Character 1 left hemisphere and their Character 4 right hemisphere.
THE SILENT GENERATION: SEEN BUT NOT HEARD
A small group of people too young to actively participate in World War II were born between 1927 and 1945, right around the Great Depression. The years prior to World War II were a bleak time, as many families had lost their homes and their possessions, and even food was hard to come by. Follow this already arduous time with the war effort in which some 400,000 Americans would lose their lives, and education was not the social priority. As a result, as with the G.I. Generation, the majority of learning came from hands-on experience and solid labor.
An ongoing theme for those born during this period was that children should be seen and not heard, hence their classification as the Silent Generation. Compounding the theme of a need for silence, in the early 1950s Senator Joseph McCarthy roused fears in the public of anti-American sentiment, thus making it dangerous for Americans to openly speak about their thoughts, ideas, or beliefs in public. As McCarthyism grew more widespread, the Silent Generation remained cautious with their tongues, but eventually they would erupt as the fervent voices of the civil rights movement of the ’50s and ’60s.
The G.I. and Silent Generations at Home
Although postwar Americans around 1945 may have lost their innocence upon seeing the racism and genocide that Hitler and the Nazi regime were capable of, the surviving population of the G.I. Generation buckled down and built the robust U.S. economy of the ’50s. These older Americans were a dedicated and loyal Character 1 workforce who often labored at the same company for decades. As a group they respected authority, obeyed the law, and lived conservatively. Collectively, they built an economy that heralded an unprecedented period of economic growth and prosperity, and the U.S. soon became the richest country in the world.
Along with a boom in professional and social opportunities, there was also a boom in the birth of babies, with some 77 million children born between 1946 and 1964. The social creed of the times centered around life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Although these postwar Americans had witnessed the worst of humanity, their collective Character 4s prioritized home, relationships, and good old-fashioned family values. They were committed to their loved ones and wanted their children to achieve the American Dream, meaning that they could do or be anything.
In the most generalized and idealized perspective of the era, with only the radio and a little TV disturbing the peace and quiet of their daily lives, these folks had time, plenty of time to engage with life at a manageable pace. The tone of their living was set by the postwar G.I.’s Character 4s, which encouraged people to stop, pause, breathe deeply, and authentically connect with one another. Interpersonal and multigenerational relationships thrived as family gatherings took center stage.
The days ebbed slowly with a hoe-dee-doe lingering that encouraged quality time with others. Evening dinners were set on a schedule and not to be missed. It was common for neighbors to stop in, as there was an opendoor policy for visitors. Dads took their kids fishing and built furniture for their Mrs. and dollhouses for their little girls, while moms delighted everyone with the favorite family recipes. Men clustered around anything mechanical to catch up on the news, and women gathered to gossip, mend, can goods, and chat about the children.
As a society Americans had a communal sense of thankfulness for their restored freedom, a gratitude for what life now was, and hope for a brighter future. Yet brewing underneath all that community and Character 4 peacefulness was an unrest of economic and social inequality between not only the different races but the different genders. The Character 2s of the G.I. and Silent Generations who had felt oppressed by the ongoing status quo may have seemed calm on the surface but now gained a voice. Their discontent would ultimately explode as the civil rights movement, followed by the women’s movement that gained momentum in the ’70s.
The G.I. and Silent Generations at Work
The career choices for the Four Characters during these years of postwar peace and civil upheaval became relatively predictable. The left-brain dominant Character 1 males valued money, pursued jobs that required higher education and leadership, and aggressively climbed the hierarchical ladder of society. Among other professions, Character 1 males became business executives, bankers, doctors, attorneys, politicians, military officers, engineers, accountants, advertisers, and marketers. This population thrived both socially and financially. They married and generally spawned an average of three children, depending on their religion.
The Character 3 males who bypassed formal education pursued bluecollar positions as plumbers, construction workers, bus drivers, mechanics, pipe fitters, warehouse and factory workers, tool and die men, farmers, and anything at all that was related to the construction and operation of transportation. These men were good with their hands and often served as apprentices under masters of their trade. The armed forces appealed to male Character 3s who valued an external source of structure, a sense of adventure, and a predictable paycheck.
Many Character 1 women in the ’50s and ’60s were successful wives and homemakers, as running a house filled with children required the ability to organize people, places, and schedules. Although it was traditional for postwar American women to marry and stay at home with their children, it is important to note that there was a special population of Character 1 women who sought an education and grew up to be financially and socially independent. Some of the best Character 1 out-of-the-home jobs for women during this period were as teachers, secretaries, stenographers, and nurses.
Although it remained the social norm for young women to marry and have children in the ’50s and ’60s, a record number of women in postwar America filed for divorce in the ’70s. In 1963 Congress passed the Equal Pay Act, and in 1964 the Civil Rights Act. Follow these actions with the 1972 Title IX law, which protected a girl’s right to receive an equal education, and the battle of the sexes commenced. For the first time in the history of the U.S., both men and women were college bound. Highly educated and competent Character 1 women began flooding the workplace and were successfully competing with their Character 1 male counterparts for positions that had previously been reserved for men.
By the ’70s, women who did not pursue a college education also entered into the workforce in droves. Many became waitresses, factory workers, nurses’ aides, sales reps, travel agents, stewardesses, farmhands, customer service people, and/or child caregivers.
The Character 4 of the postwar American male, who valued connection, community, family, and being of service, set and dominated the overall tone of postwar life. These Character 4 males were the big-picture thinkers who thought systematically and built an economy that reflected their values. They engaged with the postwar efforts of the Army Corps of Engineers to build up the economy, and many Character 4s became university professors who invested in the growth of bright young minds. These men were committed to creating the infrastructure of suburban America, and they functioned as the stronghold anchors of any system. At the end of the day, these men built a world that was infused with innovation, family values, and vision of a bright tomorrow.
THE BABY BOOMER GENERATION: THE AMERICAN DREAM
Following World War II, 77 million Baby Boomers were born to postwar Americans (1946 to 1964), who showered their children with all the opportunities they had not been afforded themselves. The Boomers, whom some also refer to as the “Me” Generation, received endless opportunities and were reassured that they could grow up to achieve the American Dream by having and being anything they could dream. In the big picture of life, generally speaking of course, society was rich in variation and nuance. The Boomers had more wealth than any previous generation had ever had, and they enthusiastically danced their way through life to the lyrical messaging of folk rock, the screaming guitars of rock ’n’ roll, and eventually the syncopated bass lines of disco.
The oldest of the Boomers turned 18 in 1964, and while many embraced higher education and the countercultural rhetoric of the ’60s, the military draft sent many Boomers unwittingly into combat in Vietnam. Some 200,000 fully fledged hippies lost themselves in hallucinogenic drugs, while another 200,000, who were too young to participate in the rampant drug culture, swooned and crooned a tune as teenyboppers to teen idols and pop music. Boomers embraced all forms of entertainment, fashion, and materialism. They were extreme consumers.
For Boomers, the death of President Kennedy in 1963 and the landing of a man on the moon in 1969 profoundly impacted their worldview. As did the Vietnam War, the return of the Vietnam vet, and the impeachment of President Nixon in 1974. Each of these events elevated major political unrest and distrust, on top of what was already brewing as the civil rights movement. Yet even amid this social restlessness, at the height of the economy in the ’70s, Americans continued to believe the narrative that Boomers could, and should, achieve the American Dream. Character 1 Boomers bought homes, settled down, and followed their parents into the workplace.
The majority of the U.S. jobs available for the Boomers during the 1970s and ’80s were in manufacturing, both on the assembly line and in the management office. The U.S. educational system, which had been run by the states and then taken over by the federal government in 1954, trained Boomers of all ages left-brain skills through the use of traditional left-brain teaching tools that stressed memorization of facts and details over creativity.
For Boomers, the percentage of the population who finished four years of high school grew between 1964 and 1980, from 50 to 70 percent for white people and 25 to 50 percent for Black Boomers and other races. Consequently, much of their learning was hands-on, resulting in a large percentage of Boomers being trained to be worker bees rather than critical or independent thinkers. Millions of Boomers of all ages, races, and genders squeezed themselves into jobs that needed to be filled, and during the ’70s the values of the workforce morphed into a left-brain Character 1 culture that prioritized time on the job over quality time at home.
The culture of the ’70s was all about materialism, with the explosion of the designer phenomenon and name brands. Left-brain Character 1 Boomers were willing to put 60 to 80 hours a week into the job to win the expensive watch or the vacation in Hawaii. To the Boomer, dedication to getting the job done well and earning its material rewards became more important than sleep deprivation. They learned to wear the dark circles under their eyes as their badges of honor, and they were the first group to place a higher value on the external material reward of their Character 1 over their Character 4’s value of interpersonal relationships and family. It is perhaps not so surprising that the rate of divorce reached record levels during this time.
The older Americans as well as the Boomers were similarly trained by an educational system that used left-brain teaching tools to teach left-brain skills, but because the older Americans still valued their right-brain creativity and quality relationships, they built a society and economy that was more balanced between the value structures of their left-brain Character 1 and their right-brain Character 4. The older Americans had built a world using their left-brain organizational skills, but they ran their communities and homes based on the values of their right-brain Character 4.
The Boomers, who had been brought up in the kind and caring Character 4 families of the older Americans, made a choice, probably an unconscious one, to lead their lives and the world with a sense of entitlement to what they had rather than with a sense of gratitude for what they had received. When Boomers shifted to value their Character 1 over their Character 4, they embarked upon the creation of the Character 1–dominant society that we live in today.
As a result, our self-value is now measured by what we have rather than by who we are. In the big picture, our right-brain kindness, compassion, honesty, openness, and valuing of healthy relationships have been sacrificed, replaced by our left brains’ race to acquire the big house, the boat, and the car. And of course, the old spouse won’t do anymore so we need to get a new one.
GENERATION X: THE LATCHKEY KIDS
Following the Boomers, a relatively small but important group of people were born between the years of 1965 and 1976: Generation X (Gen X). Do you recall that record number of older American Character 1 women who filed for divorce in the ’70s? Add to that group the high percentage of married couples who became double-income families as more women moved into the workforce, and you end up with a population of Gen X kids who grew up with no one around when they came home from school. These latchkey kids, as they would come to be nicknamed, would do their chores, finish their homework, and feed the younger kids. As a population they would develop a strong sense of Character 1 responsibility and independence at a very early age.
Although divorce was tough on the family, it turned out to be a great stimulator for the economy. Divorced women boosted the banking business by opening accounts of their own, and families bought two of everything since Mom and Dad now lived in separate places. Gen X children were shuffled back and forth between their parents’ two different worlds. These kids were trained to become resilient, flexible, and Character 1 independent thinkers.
From an early age, Gen X kids were given electronics in greater measure than attention. The Speak & Spell handheld educational device was introduced to Gen X children in the late ’70s, and the video game industry took hold of the world by the early ’80s. These kids were brought up to be technologically savvy, and they were ever ready to conquer the next mechanical gadget. They became Character 1 masters of anything with a remote, and often taught their parents and grandparents how to program the VCR, sometimes before they were old enough to read.
Yet beyond their Character 1 technological know-how, these Gen X kids were using right-brain tools in the form of computers and video games to learn left-brain skills like reading and mathematics, and this would ultimately revolutionize the evolution of their brains. There is an enormous difference between how the left and right brains learn new material. For example, you can train your left brain in the multiplication tables through rote memory by asking what is 4 X 3, or you can train the right brain to do that same equation by showing a picture of 4 monkeys + 4 elephants + 4 ostriches. As a result of this right-brain type of training through the use of games and computers, the Gen X learned to think more spatially and visually than the Boomers, G.I., or Silent generations.
Furthermore, the education that the Gen X received was not just through the lessons of the technological tools and games they learned how to use, but via the sheer determination they displayed as they investigated how to get the technology to work in the first place. These kids became explorers and learned at an early age how to poke around and push buttons in trial and error, in an effort to figure out how to get video games to go. Earlier generations, including the Boomers, were often petrified to randomly push a bunch of buttons out of fear that they would either hurt the machine or lose their data. These two populations were completely different not only in how they felt about technology but in how they used it. Boomers were willing to learn about systems and programs, but mostly because they wanted to use the technology to their advantage. The Gen X population thrived on the technology, and beyond becoming masters of the machines, they programmed and created new uses for those machines.
What this meant at the level of the brain was a significant shift in how we were training our children to think. By the mid-’90s, the Gen X kids in the U.S. were using learning tools such as the LeapFrog educational training system to learn how to read. Thus they were learning how to use both halves of their brains simultaneously in constructive ways. By the time the Internet went online in 1993, Gen Xers were chompin’ at the bit and eager to dive full force into the exciting new world of technology.
As the Gen Xers matured, broadly speaking, they disapproved of the values of the Boomers and regarded the so-called ladder of success as the path that had wrecked their families. In the eyes of many Gen Xers, Boomers were superficial people who valued brand names and net worth over their relationships with people. Boomers cared about where they ranked in the pack, while the Gen Xers didn’t want anything to do with the pack, and they resented any Boomer who tried to buy them
Just as Boomers were going for the “WOW, look at how much I have” factor, Gen Xers went for the “WHOA, look at how different and unique I am” factor. Gen Xers were individuals, and the culture of the ’80s and ’90s was individualistic to match. Everything was big and bold, with extreme sports and huge hair, and grunge was the fashion. Rock bands flourished, and MTV was a global phenomenon that spoke directly to the hearts and minds of this generation in a way that nothing else ever had. Multicolored eye shadow complemented neon clothing, and few young people had a curfew because no one was home to police them. For this population, the video store became not only the place to hang out but a primary source of entertainment.
Even as the Gen X population developed a strong Character 1, their creative and exploratory Character 3s took sports, and everything else, to the extreme. Gen Xers were brought up on video games like Pong, PacMan, and their many successors, which were games that gave a reward of advancement for a job well done. As a consequence, this group of Gen Xers learned through gaming that if they created a collaboration between their ordered and independent-thinking Character 1 and their creative and innovative Character 3, they could achieve the big payoff. In this way Gen Xers cultivated their individual ability to advance, advance, advance.
By the time this computer-competent Gen X flock graduated college and entered the workforce, their Character 1s were so far advanced in independent thinking that they did not fit into the box of the Boomer world that required them to work a lot of overtime and follow a rigid routine. Instead Gen Xers created the home office and programmed their computers to automate what they perceived as antiquated worker-based systems. This population enjoyed its independence and tended to have their children later than their own parents had, and flextime at the office became an important workplace option for young Gen X mothers.
Although the Gen X generation had been brought up to believe that owning a home was a good idea, unlike their parents they tended to live paycheck to paycheck and spend their money on adventures. The Gen Xers were powerfully influenced by the assassination of John Lennon in 1980 and the shooting of President Reagan in 1981. In 1986 the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger shook their formative world, and the savings and loan scandal solidified their lack of trust in the system. This group of Gen Xers remained committed to the power of their Character 1 individualism rather than their collective generational strength. Consequently, this group remained cautious about committing to the financial demands of the American Dream.
Later, in 2008 when the U.S. banks were loosely offering mortgages and loans without adequate credit or collateral, some Gen Xers were caught in the loop of buying real estate and living beyond their means. When the Great Recession of 2008–2009 hit, many of these Gen Xers lost their homes, as well as the financial security of their 401(k)s. That meant many Gen Xers, already adults in their late 20s, 30s, or even beyond, had to move back in with their parents, and for the first time in decades, multigenerational cohabitation became a norm.
THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION: ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL
The Boomers and Gen Xers gave birth to 83.5 million Millennials between 1977 and 1996. Never before has there been a more biologically based generational gap than that between the brains of the Millennials and the brains of their Boomer parents. Although the Gen Xers grew up with technology and the development of the Internet, environmentally they had to fit their whole-brain nature inside the left-brain Character 1 dominant world and workforce that the G.I. and Boomer generations had established.
On a broad scale, millions of Millennials were the first human babies to share their crib with an animatronic bear named Teddy Ruxpin. As a result, for an enormous number of Millennials, their first constant companion was an electronic, battery-operated bear who became their emotional soother and neuro-regulator. In other words, the societal norm by the time the Millennials were born was that their first significant relationship would be with electronics, and this would profoundly influence them for the rest of their lives.
From a neurological perspective, the Millennial generation was reared from birth using a technology that taught both left-brain and right-brain thinking and emotional skill sets through the right-brain techniques and learning tools of computers. The level of integration between the Millennial population and technology was relatively seamless. These kids were the first generation to use computers at home for learning as well as in school. Their left brains were trained in how to use and figure out the technology, while the games and three-dimensional teaching tools made learning fun and exciting in a way that traditional techniques of books and rote memorization could not compete with.
Thanks to the Gen Xers, the right brain–educated Millennials had the chance to grow up in an environment that was a bit more welcoming to a whole-brain way of thinking and being. Consequently, Millennials have been somewhat freer to thrive on the value structure of their Character 3s, even though they do have strong Character 1s as a backup. Because the
Millennials lead with their Character 3 values, which are very different from the traditional Character 1 values of their Boomer parents, there is an interesting and unprecedented tension between these two groups in the workforce. Consequently, the G.I. and Boomer populations in the traditional workplace are struggling to figure out how to either motivate these rightbrain Millennials or get them to jump through their left-brain hoops to get the job done.
While most of the left-brain Character 1 breadwinning Boomers were busy at work and rarely home, the Boomer parents who did stay home, be they male or female, wrapped their entire schedule around managing their young Millennials’ social calendar by shuttling them here, there, and everywhere. These Boomer parents, who had had incredible amounts of unscheduled and unattended free time when they were young, now hovered like helicopters around their own children. These extreme measures of overprotection cultivated a group of very anxious right-brain Character 3 Millennial kids who had minimal, if any, unsupervised time of their own.
Consequently, it was virtually impossible for this population to fully develop their own individual sense of safety in the world. Congruent with their right-brain nature, many Millennials grew up feeling that they did not have any control over their lives. As adults many Millennials now function in right-brain Character 3 packs rather than as individual Character 1s because it feels safer for them to be a part of the collective.
As parents the Boomers had good intentions, and although many of them wanted their young Millennial children to develop their left brains and engage in healthy competition, they did not want anyone to feel either left out or less than. To compensate for and soften the potential blow of losing at events, parents, teams, and schools began giving Millennial children participation ribbons and rewards just for trying something new. Our right brain embraces the collective whole, unlike the zero-sum game of our left brain that looks for winners and losers. Boomer parents wanted their Millennial children to recognize that they had value, no matter where they fell on the continuum in the performance of the pack.
This treatment of everyone as winners further encouraged Millennial children to perceive themselves as all being equal, all being the same, and all being a part of a common collective of right-brainers. It also taught them that all they had to do was show up and make an appearance and they would be rewarded. This coddling meant that Millennials had no opportunity to develop appropriate and healthy left-brain Character 2 responses to their successes and failures. At the same time it pretty much killed their left-brain Character 1 competitive drive, which is necessary if you hope to compete in a traditional workforce.
In fact, the traditional workforce is not a comfortable place for these right-brain Millennials. Many older generation left-brain Character 1 business folks have never seen anything like them. And frankly, they have little idea how to motivate this population or get them to stick around to get the job done. To the older leadership, the Millennials don’t seem hungry enough to suffer for the higher-paying jobs. This is partly true, because Millennials are not motivated by money or interested in putting in long, painful hours to make a buck. If they are not happy in their job, they will leave it and go find something they like better.
In the workplace the Millennials’ commitment is to the experience of the present moment rather than to the job. They are creatives, so instead of telling them what to do, they want you to present them with a problem and then trust them to go figure out a solution. Millennials are creative wizards with technology, and they think in systems. For example, in a traditional work environment that is run by the older generations, there may be 1,000 human jobs run by 10 human managers. In the Millennial world, there might be 1,000 machines doing the work with 10 managing Millennials writing the computer code.
Since the Millennials’ right-brain commitment is to the experience rather than to the company they work for, they may stick with a job for two to three years and then be off to the next experience along their journey. In left-brain companies run by the older generations, this absence of commitment to an organization is often perceived as a poor sense of loyalty or a lack of allegiance to the company. But for the Millennials who run companies themselves, this predictable and steady shift of the workforce is a good idea. They love it when new people step onto their team, as they bring new insights, ideas, and skill sets to the organization. Then when they leave, a spot on the team opens up for a new person with fresh ideas. Millennials see this transience of their population as a positive, and they clearly understand their own strengths.
True to their Character 3 values, Millennials display high levels of joy and contentment when working in groups. They like to make decisions together, but overall, their Character 2s are not well developed and therefore they are highly sensitive. As a result, Millennials tend to take criticism as a personal insult rather than as constructive guidance. Creating healthy relationships in a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps working environment does not come easily for these tender souls.
For the Millennials who are running their own businesses, they see the difference in their right-brain leadership style as one that is leading with love rather than leading with a left-brain, fear-based command-and-control mentality. Millennials lead with compassion and are charitable when people make mistakes.
When it comes to the job hunt, Millennials have guiding principles about what they want to accomplish, and they go looking for a job that fits those values. Unlike older generations Millennials are less motivated by the impact their left-brain Character 1 can make in the world and are more motivated by a job that matches their right-brain Character 3 interests and skills. Somewhere along the line, probably like all generations, these kids were told that in order to succeed and be high achievers, they needed to suffer. It just so happens that the Character 3 Millennials are the first generation to buck that system and not buy what the left-brain Character 1s are selling. Millennials want to do what they want to do, and they want to do it their way. They are not willing to stay in a job they hate and compromise themselves in the same way older generations did.
Millennials know about connection and how to work with others, and they understand completely that relationships are the nucleus of any business. When the leadership style is one of domination, relationships are fragile, but when people feel supported, they will go above and beyond to perform. Millennials have figured out that you can be loving and accountable at the same time, even in the workplace, by creating an environment in which everyone can thrive.
Millennial kids grew up in a world that was completely different from anything we had known before. In 2001 young Millennials lived through the 9/11 terrorist attacks and witnessed the sadness, depression, and fear that came over everyone they loved and respected. Millennials learned early that the world is a dangerous place, and this sense was reinforced when the stock market crashed in 2008 and many families lost both their homes and their financial security. This instability in their parents’ lives further escalated Millennials’ anxiety, and an unprecedented number of them are now dependent on antianxiety and/or antidepressant medications as their coping norm. On top of that, a record number of Millennials are now abusing prescription drugs, which is fueling the current opioid epidemic.
These kids were brought up with a strong sense of anxiety and peril. At the same time, they were reared to believe that they could do and be anything. It has been tough for them to realize that in our society, that is simply not true. Not only was this population helicoptered by their parents, with no opportunity to figure out the world for themselves, but they grew up with social media, which, in conjunction with the participation rewards, trained them to rely on external validation for their personal value. Boomer parents determined their self-value by how they compared with the people next door, while Millennials determine their self-value based on how many “friends, likes, and clicks” they receive on social media platforms.
Millennials are inherently attached to their technology as though it is a part of their body, and when they are separated from it, they experience intense withdrawal and their anxiety soars. Millennials get their news from social media, the CNN app, Twitter, NPR, and any other apps that have appeal. They use their technology to send brief messages through text or Twitter, and they send snippets of videos through TikTok or various other forms of messaging like Instagram. If you are an older American who relies on having phone conversations with your Millennial grandkids to keep yourself abreast of what is going on in their lives, you might want to try FaceTime, Zoom, or Skype for a quicker and easier connection.
Unlike their older counterparts, Millennials have grown up so immersed in a world of technology that they are cool with the idea that their phone apps are not only tracking them but taking and selling their data. These kids are not even bothered by knowing there are hidden cameras everywhere, and that we live in a society in which they have no real privacy. For the Millennials this is the norm that they were born into, and they are comfortable with it because for them, “It has always been this way.”
Millennials are a really charming group of creatives who are artists in their hearts and true to their right-brain values. They really do care that their coffee looks like art. They are a bright group of people. Many of them watch TED talks for global awareness of what is going on in the world, and they care deeply about how they might contribute to the health and wellbeing of humanity. Millennials want to work for a company that works in teams, cares about the community, and offers them a day off so they can donate their time to a charitable cause. Yet their greatest reward comes when they post their good deeds on social media, as it is important that their peers know what they have been up to. The hardest thing for a Millennial is to feel as though they are alone and that they do not fit inside the social group of their choice. For a Millennial who has been brought up with the constant companionship of technology, being isolated can trigger high levels of anxiety and depression, ultimately resulting in our current rates of drug abuse and suicide. Just like neurons that need to be strongly linked into their network of other neurons, Millennials thrive when they are in a healthy connection with others.
THE GEN Z GENERATION: TECHNOLOGICAL BY NATURE
Next in line, following the Millennials, are Gen Z (born 1997 to 2010), who are often the offspring of the fiercely independent-minded Gen X. These Gen Z youth are even more whole-brained and independent than their parents, for several reasons. First, these kids were reared by Gen X to have highly functional Character 1s. Second, Gen Z were taught using right-brain learning tools, resulting in strong whole-brain thinking. And third, just as Gen X had to blend their technologically savvy whole-brain thinking into the establishment of the left-brain dominant Boomers, Gen Z is blending their whole-brain thinking into the right-brain dominant world of the Millennials. As a result, Gen Z is the first whole-brain generation, both biologically and culturally.
Similar to Millennials, Gen Zs have been brought up completely enmeshed with technology from as early as their cribs, and many of them spoke the language of Google long before they spoke their native tongue. However, unlike the Millennials who thrive in packs and want to be a part of a social network, Gen Zs are more socially autonomous and prefer interacting with their technology rather than with one another.
Take that a step further to realize that Gen Z actually regards their relationship with technology as an extension of themselves, as they consciously integrate technological tools into the physiology of their daily routines. There are phone apps that will monitor their vitals, count their steps, count their breaths per minute, track their sleep, slow down their heart rate, decrease their anxiety, and distract them in just about any way that you can imagine. Phone apps will tell them what to eat, when they have met their daily limit of time spent on social media, and when it is time to go to bed—and then they have apps that will play delta wave music to help them increase the quality of their sleep.
As all of this happens and our youth become more automated and neuroregulated by their technology, the gap between us grows. These kids, and the Alpha who will follow, are neurologically unique when compared with the traditional thinking, values, and actions of the G.I. and Boomer generations. Within a century the dominance and values of our brains have shifted, and although we have known for decades that human contact with other humans helps us build healthier neural networks, technology is causing a critical disconnect between us.
Although we may use technology to increase our frequency of communication with others, it does not bring with it that spark of human connection that stimulates our brain in a positive way. We humans are wired to be social beings, and our relationship with technology is compromising our health. Research into rates of loneliness in the different generations indicates a direct correlation between high levels of technology and higher self-reported levels of loneliness. The G.I. Generation and Boomers, who did not grow up with a constant relationship with phones, pads, and computers, self-report lower levels of loneliness than these younger generations whose lives are immersed in technology. In addition, problems with unhealthy boundaries surrounding the constant use of technology have become the number one complaint of couples and families who seek therapy. Add to that the unknown impact of electromagnetic radiation on our biological systems, and technology is beginning to look like a runaway train with no conductor onboard.
In 2001 when our whole-brain Gen Z kids were very young, or not yet even born, the U.S. experienced the societal trauma and PTSD aftermath of 9/11. Compound that with the financial crisis of 2008, when the Disney vacation dwindled into the staycation, and these kids learned quickly that the world is a dangerous place and their Character 2s have good reason to be steeped in fear. Add to that the political divisiveness that has become a part of our daily rhetoric, and it is no wonder that we are caught up in the middle of an epidemic of drug overdose and suicide, especially among these younger generations who do not feel like valuable members of our human network.
If that were not enough, place these kids in the middle of the 2020 Covid19 pandemic and it makes sense that they tend to run a bit feral. As a result, similar to the Millennials, Gen Zs spend a lot of time running their fight/flight response and are not accumulating many possessions. Instead of settling down or buying homes, these younger populations want to remain in motion because a moving target is harder to catch.
Gen Zs are independent like their parents and value their left-brain Character 1’s individuality, so much so that they have no interest in fitting themselves inside the box of the establishment. As a result, many Gen Zs are choosing to skip college altogether. This population has a tremendous amount of information available to them right at their fingertips, and they literally coexist with technology as strong Character 1s and live by the values of their Character 3s. If they need something, they order it through Amazon and have it delivered almost immediately, wherever they might be. Character 3s love the instant gratification that technology has to offer.
Gen Zs are natural-born computer coders. Many of them are earning the big bucks with very little overhead as large technology companies are now hiring their skills directly through the Internet. In fact, Gen Zs are so in demand in the world of technology that major companies including Google and Amazon have gone to the extreme of no longer requiring their employees to have earned either a B.A. or B.S. college degree.
Gen Zs are interested in high-paying jobs, and you will find them driving really nice cars and wearing the latest in monogrammed fashion. For the Gen Z, their Character 1 self-worth is reflected by what they own, but it is also important for them to be able to grab what they need and go, in the event that their Character 2 feels threatened and their Character 3 needs to bolt to another location. These are very different characteristics from the typical Millennials, who as a population tend to buy their clothes at vintage or secondhand shops and are much more inclined to make a charitable donation than to spend their money on a possession.
Although Millennials thrive on social media, Gen Zs live and breathe social media. Since their primary relationship is with their phone, iPad, or computer, it is second nature for them to stay completely on top of the cultural trends, what is cool, and what is happening now. With strong right brains, this generation is much more tolerant of different cultures, sexual orientations, races, and religions, despite the incessant hate talk they are hearing from their elders. As a group these kids feel comfortable spending time doing what they enjoy rather than doing what they should be doing. They are artisans, and their self-pride is based on what they create on their own. The Character 4 of the Gen Z wants to grow a beautiful garden with healthy food they can eat. They care about having clean air and water, and they want to protect our planet.
WHERE WE ARE NOW
As a society we have reached a tipping point in the blend of humanity and technology. What I mean by this is that although a brain is made up of billions of cells that are in communication with one another, their magical by-product is the manifestation of our individual human consciousness. Comparably, billions of our brains communicate with one another and together we manifest the collective consciousness of humanity. Add to that the understanding that the Internet is made up of billions of computers that are linked together via the consciousness of our human brains, and we end up with a global techno-consciousness that is beyond our wildest sci-fi imaginings.
In the beginning of this liaison between humans and our computers, we humans were building and influencing the computers. However, by the advent of the Millennial and Gen Z generations, it had become commonplace for the Internet to track our Internet activity, our location and movement patterns, our food and product purchases, our financial and political interests, even our faces and our friends and familial connections. Phone apps are monitoring and collecting data about our biological systems, as well as offering us advice on how we might choose to live. The ultimate integration now rests in not only how we are giving technology the power to influence our thoughts, emotions, and physiology but how we are already practicing various forms of technological and neurological microchip implantations. This is both exciting and terrifying at the same time.
Biological systems function as a collection of negative feedback loops. For example, I feel hunger pangs in my belly, so I eat food and then the pangs go away. In this system I have a desire, I act on that desire, and when the desire is negated I feel satisfied and the system returns to rest. The beauty of a system that is based on negative feedback loops is that it can create and communicate a need, and then once that need is met the system can return to its own balance and homeostasis. While in homeostasis, the biological system can rest and refuel itself. Life thrives in health with these negative feedback loops because they use the minimal amount of energy to sound an alarm, and once the alarm is addressed, the system shuts off the power and goes back to conserving energy.
Technology, on the other hand, is a positive feedback system that never pauses or stops. The more it runs—the more you play a game or browse— the more temptations there are set into the system to increase your clicks, time, and attention. Technology runs 24/7, accelerating and wearing down our neural networks. Computers and the world of the Internet run until they break down and need to be repaired or replaced, and then the system reboots and picks up where it left off. Computers drive us to work more intensely, play games harder, and think faster. Both cognitively and emotionally, technology is exhausting our biological systems and leaving us vulnerable to its addiction.
Undeniably technology offers us conveniences, helps us become more efficient, and when used appropriately, allows us to create a healthier worklife balance. Yet the go-go mentality that technology encourages us to engage in can wreak havoc on our brain health, as well as the health of our relationships with those around us. Our brains are basically the hard drive of our life, and all day long we are compiling billions of techno-cookies from the TV, our phones and social media, our techno-driven workout schedule, and of course our computers at work.
At least on a daily basis, if not several times a day, it would behoove us to empty the trash file and reboot our brains so we can function as our optimal selves. To restore a biological system that is driven by negative feedback loops, we must hit the pause button regularly and give our brain a chance to catch up, recalibrate, and regenerate itself back to the hard reset. This is one of the reasons why sleep is so important. It’s also one of the advantages of consciously choosing to engage in a Brain Huddle with our Four Characters on and off throughout the day. We have the power to choose who and how we want to be, and we have the power to help ourselves, whether we are in need or just in the mood for a refreshing moment of gratitude.
Regardless of our generational variances, in that TED talk I stated, “We are energy beings connected to one another through the consciousness of our right hemispheres as one human family. And right here, right now, we are brothers and sisters on this planet, here to make the world a better place. And in this moment we are perfect, we are whole, and we are beautiful.”
3 Thomas D. Snyder, ed., 120 Years of American Education: A Statistical Portrait (Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, 1993), 7–8.