added by Andrew McCluskey and · updated 4mo ago
The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life
“Every man alone is sincere. At the entrance of a second person, hypocrisy begins.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson
from The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Robin Hanson
Serim Tarcan added 4mo ago
By grooming each other, primates help forge alliances that help them in other situations.
from The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Robin Hanson
Serim Tarcan added 4mo ago
We don’t admit to nearly as much showing off and political jockeying as we ’d expect from a competitive social animal.
from The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Robin Hanson
Serim Tarcan added 4mo ago
We don’t admit to nearly as much showing off and political jockeying as we’d expect from a competitive social animal.
from The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Robin Hanson
Serim Tarcan added 4mo ago
This, then, is the key sleight-of-hand at the heart of our psychosocial problems: We pretend we’re in charge, both to others and even to ourselves, but we’re less in charge than we think. We pose as privileged insiders, when in fact we’re often making the same kind of educated guesses that any informed outsider could make. We claim to know our own
... See morefrom The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Robin Hanson
Sean Rose added 6mo ago
The less we know of our own ugly motives, the easier it is to hide them from others.
from The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Robin Hanson
Serim Tarcan added 4mo ago
Microsociology. When we study how people interact with each other on the small scale—in real time and face to face—we quickly learn to appreciate the depth and complexity of our social behaviors and how little we’re consciously aware of what’s going on. These behaviors include laughter, blushing, tears, eye contact, and body language. In fact, we h
... See morefrom The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Robin Hanson
Serim Tarcan added 4mo ago
“Every man alone is sincere. At the entrance of a second person, hypocrisy begins.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson
from The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Robin Hanson
Serim Tarcan added 4mo ago
Our brains are built to act in our self-interest while at the same time trying hard not to appear selfish in front of other people.
from The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Robin Hanson
Serim Tarcan added 4mo ago