The power of praise to influence human behavior is well accepted and based on the behavioral sciences.  Now we have physiological proof as well.  Researchers are mapping what happens in the brain during social interactions using technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography as well as wave analysis.  Scientists can study neural connections as they happen in the living brain.  Discoveries are confirming HR professionals’ hunches about workplace behavior.  One study showed that social pain from being berated lights up in the brain.  Unfair situations generate amygdala arousals releasing cortisol into the brain that shuts it down and closes it to new ideas.  Social fairness and respect, such as when a manager rewards people and make them feel positive, also impacts the brain by “squirting” a chemical called serotonin which opens minds to ideas.  This is fascinating research with real implications for how we treat people at work — as well as the whole human family.   The above insights are based on findings from Dr. Ellen Weber, Director of the MITA International Brain Based Center and David Rock, CEO of Results Coaching Systems.