The Laws of Human Nature

How many times do I have to say to you, Trevor? She is an egotist! You've been in three unhealthy relationships so far this year. If only, says Robert Greene, you knew The Laws of Human Nature. - You've tried 64 business ideas, Baxter, and have yet to succeed. Perhaps it is you who needs to comprehend your nature. - Oh, I see your point.

The Principle of Irrationality is the first. You want to believe that you are in charge of your life and that your perception of the outside world is accurate. But be careful—your feelings can be substantial. They force you to act without thinking, to interpret the world in terms of how you feel rather than how it truly is. Recognize your emotional self in action before you can become more reasonable. Then investigate the causes of your emotions. Why do you smoke that joint when you know it renders you sluggish and prevents you from achieving your goals? Third, take a step back to lengthen your reaction time. It could be necessary to complete that by setting the medicine down and inhaling deeply. Additionally, rather than attempting to change others, accept them for what they are irrational. That only causes an emotional mess. These four things allow your logical mind to counteract your illogical mind and help you make wiser decisions.

Second, the Narcissism Law. There is a continuum of how much self-love you possess. When you include too much, you turn toxic and selfish. Around the 1970s, there was an increase in narcissistic features among young people, with a surge occurring around 2000. This increase may be related to the increased online social engagement. Greene supports converting egotism into compassion for others. The only way to do this is through face-to-face communication. Yes, that entails putting the phone down, venturing outside, and conversing with actual people.

The Law of Role-Playing, number three. You don a mask that presents you most favorably. Your pals also do. Just compare their Instagram lives to how they live. You can utilize this knowledge to improve your capacity to see past other people's facades and learn how to portray yourself in the best possible way to achieve your goals, such as in a job interview. It ultimately boils down to knowing body language, the subject of another video, to become adept at seeing through other people's masks and putting one on that helps you in the appropriate circumstances.

The Law of Compulsive Behaviour is number four. You play a specific role. It develops based on your everyday routine and early life. When you fight it, it gets worse. Although you can't alter who you are, you can lessen the effects of who you are. You might, for instance, be prone to wanting to satisfy everyone. If your job requires you to fire people, you can be terrible at it but a great waiter. Take advantage of your character.

Five: The Covetousness Law. People will become extremely obsessed with desire if you show them what they lack most in life or are not allowed to own. Greene places a lot of emphasis in this chapter on how you can benefit from this lesson. This is a common occurrence in the pick-up scene. Guys are taught the strategies of purposefully making themselves hard to reach so they become more attractive if they aren't already incredibly busy with their lives. Text messages that specify that they can meet up for a date at 7:36 PM on a Saturday can be one way this appears, even though they could meet up almost any day at any time. Absence has excellent power. We desire that which we lack. On the other hand, remind yourself to appreciate what you already have to prevent yourself from falling into the trap of constantly desiring more.

The Law of Shortsightedness is the sixth. You naturally give the present greater importance than the future. Taking advantage of this quality in you, big pharma sells you treatments rather than preventatives. When a donut and a cigarette are correctly in the middle of you, ready to provide you with an excellent dopamine high and an immediate release of tension, who wants to consider the adverse effects of doing so? However, be aware that every successful person you like will tell you that they gave up doing the tiny things they enjoyed doing in the now for a richer payoff afterward.

Seventh, the Defensiveness Law. We enjoy feeling self-sufficient. Because of this, we get defensive when someone tries to change us. However, being overly defensive could prevent you from developing. Keep an open mind. Greene proposes becoming a deeper listener, infecting people with the right attitude, confirming their own opinions, assuaging fears, and using people's resistance and stubbornness by using reverse psychology if you want to persuade someone who is on the defensive.

Eighth, the Self-Sabotage Law. A pessimistic attitude may force you to self-destruct. You are prevented from leading the life of your dreams by it. Thankfully, you can change your perspective, or it can require a huge life event. I found it challenging to change my viewpoint instantly. I've found that doing things I know will be good for me—like taking a walk—even when I don't feel it has helped. I try to do as many of those things as I can, as frequently as I can. You could need a sudden change in circumstances or a significant life event to happen for you.

The ninth is The Repression Law. Have you ever had the strange urge to shove a friend off a cliff while standing together? Perhaps you have a relationship, but you secretly sleep with someone else because, for some sick reason, it makes you feel alive—greetings from the dark side. Everybody has a dark side. In actuality, even utterly ordinary people can commit heinous, horrible deeds. Greene tells how President Lincoln would criticize politicians in anonymous newspaper letters. He created a foe who became furious with him and invited him to a duel. He retreated and did the correct thing by using his dark energy to help the human race win debates and elections.