https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/ar ... ge/528711/
I think this research is just an extension of the idea that the human brain is plastic and it adapts throughout our lives to support the kind of work that we do. What's interesting about having power, and the time of environment it creates, is that it negatively impacts the brain's ability to mirror people's behaviors and to sympathize or empathize with others.
When you have power, people treat you differently. This different treatment then begins to shape and mold your brain and worldview. If this effect can be observed within powerful CEO's, then what would be the effect of taking an already powerful person, giving them the title "apostle", and treating them as the voice of God on earth for the remainder of their lives? Some may be fore effected than others, but I would guess the result would look something like Dallin Oaks and Russell Nelson.The Atlantic wrote: Other experiments have shown that powerful people do worse at identifying what someone in a picture is feeling, or guessing how a colleague might interpret a remark.
The fact that people tend to mimic the expressions and body language of their superiors can aggravate this problem: Subordinates provide few reliable cues to the powerful. But more important, Keltner says, is the fact that the powerful stop mimicking others. Laughing when others laugh or tensing when others tense does more than ingratiate. It helps trigger the same feelings those others are experiencing and provides a window into where they are coming from. Powerful people “stop simulating the experience of others,” Keltner says, which leads to what he calls an “empathy deficit.”
