Beyond the cubicle self.

Most of us spend our weeks inside a very small version of ourselves — same desk, same screen, same thoughts. Science keeps pointing to the same truth: we grow when we meet something new. A new flavor, a new sound, a new culture, a new way of seeing. And there's one day of the week our minds are already primed to begin again.

01The fresh start effect

Monday is a new beginning — our brains already treat it that way.

Researchers at Wharton found that people are far more likely to pursue new goals at "temporal landmarks" — the start of a year, a birthday, and above all, the start of a week. Monday is a natural reset button. We simply give it something worth pressing for.

Dai, Milkman & Riis — Management Science, 2014

02Novelty & the brain

Something new switches the brain on.

Neuroscience shows that genuinely novel experiences activate the brain's dopamine system and strengthen memory and learning. The same routine fades into autopilot; the unexpected wakes us up — and keeps us curious long after the moment ends.

Bunzeck & Düzel — Neuron, 2006

03Culture expands thinking

Meeting other cultures makes us more creative.

Studies on multicultural experience show that engaging with unfamiliar traditions, flavors and ways of seeing the world increases creative problem-solving. Stepping outside our own frame — even for an afternoon — widens the way we think about our work.

Maddux & Galinsky — Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2009

04Awe & the small self

Wonder pulls us beyond ourselves — and toward each other.

Psychologists at UC Berkeley found that moments of awe create a "small self" feeling: less focus on our own worries, more generosity and connection with the people around us. Wonder, it turns out, is a quietly powerful team builder.

Piff, Dietze, Feinberg, Stancato & Keltner — JPSP, 2015

So we asked

What if the week's natural fresh start came with something genuinely new?

That's MAG Mondays. Experiences drawn from other cultures, crafts and senses — brought to your team on the one day built for beginnings. People leave a little more curious, a little more connected, and a lot more ready for the week.