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Key insights from Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson's
The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life
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Start ReadingDiscover the reasons behind and benefits of selfishness and self-deception.
Just as “the elephant in the room” refers to an important issue everyone secretly acknowledges but specifically ignores, “the elephant in the brain” refers to the animal instincts in our brains that lurk behind our behavior. Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson’s “The Elephant in the Brain” is an aggregate of human behavior research that attempts to discern the deeper motivations behind our actions. In this Snapshot, you’ll examine the social benefits and incentives of a variety of behaviors.
Read this Snapshot if you:
- Are interested in human behavior and motivations
- Want to succeed in politics
- Often misread people
Book Actions
Start ReadingBook Information
Key insights from Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson's
The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life
Discover the reasons behind and benefits of selfishness and self-deception.
Just as “the elephant in the room” refers to an important issue everyone secretly acknowledges but specifically ignores, “the elephant in the brain” refers to the animal instincts in our brains that lurk behind our behavior. Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson’s “The Elephant in the Brain” is an aggregate of human behavior research that attempts to discern the deeper motivations behind our actions. In this Snapshot, you’ll examine the social benefits and incentives of a variety of behaviors.
Read this Snapshot if you:
- Are interested in human behavior and motivations
- Want to succeed in politics
- Often misread people
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Introduction
Our actions often do not align with our stated reasons for acting. Our motivations are essentially selfish, but we mask them in the name of social acceptance. The human brain has evolved specifically to deceive us in this regard.
Authors Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson combine four fields of research — micro-sociology, cognitive and social psychology, primatology, and economics — to explore human motives, both at the personal level and at the broader levels of institutions, governments, and societies. Research in each field points to similar conclusions: We don’t know who we are,...