The Brain Economy: Advancing Brain Science to Better Understand the Modern Economy
Brain Capital Alliance, San Francisco, California, USA, Harris A. Eyre, FondaMental Fondation, Paris, France, William Hynes, Brain Capital Alliance, San Francisco, California, USA, Rym Ayadi, Brain Capital Alliance, San Francisco, California, USA, Paweł Świeboda, Brain Capital Alliance, San Francisco, California, USA, NeuroCentury, Brussels, Belgium, Michael Berk, Agustín Ibáñez, Laboratorio Interdisciplinario del Tiempo, Universidad de San Andrés-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina, María E. Castelló, Desarrollo y Evolución Neural, Departamento Neurociencias Integrativas y Computacionales, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (MEC), Montevideo, Uruguay, Programa de Desarrollo de las Ciencias Básicas (MEC-UdelaR), Montevideo, Uruguay, Fibras, Montevideo, Uruguay, Dilip V. Jeste, Michelle Tempest, Candesic, London, United Kingdom, Jafri Malin Abdullah, Kelly K. O’Brien, UsAgainstAlzhiemer’s, Washington DC, USA, Steve Carnevale, Alfred K. Njamnshi, Michael R. Martino, Dan Mannix, Brain Capital Alliance, San Francisco, California, USA, Katrina Maestri, Ruojuan Yu, Shuo Chen, Chee H. Ng, Heinrich Volmink, Rajiv Ahuja, Frédéric Destrebecq, George Vradenburg, UsAgainstAlzhiemer’s, Washington DC, USA, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, Washington DC, USA, Astrid Schmied, Facundo Manes, Michael L. Platt
Abstract
The coming years are likely to be turbulent due to a myriad of factors or polycrisis, including an escalation in climate extremes, emerging public health threats, weak productivity, increases in global economic instability and further weakening in the integrity of global democracy. These formidable challenges are not exogenous to the economy but are in some cases generated by the system itself. They can be overcome, but only with far-reaching changes to global economics. Our current socio-economic paradigm is insufficient for addressing these complex challenges, let alone sustaining human development, well-being and happiness. To support the flourishing of the global population in the age of polycrisis, we need a novel, person-centred and collective paradigm. The brain economy leverages insights from neuroscience to provide a novel way of centralising the human contribution to the economy, how the economy in turn shapes our lives and positive feedbacks between the two. The brain economy is primarily based on Brain Capital, an economic asset integrating brain health and brain skills, the social, emotional, and the diversity of cognitive brain resources of individuals and communities. People with healthy brains are essential to navigate increasingly complex systems. Policies and investments that improve brain health and hence citizens' cognitive functions and boost brain performance can increase productivity, stimulate greater creativity and economic dynamism, utilise often underdeveloped intellectual resources, afford social cohesion, and create a more resilient, adaptable and sustainability-engaged population.