The Laws of Human Nature

My guest today is Robert Green. Robert Green is an author who has written more than five best-selling books including the 48 laws of power, laws of human nature, and mastery.

In his book, The Laws of Human Nature, he turns to the most important subject of all - understanding people's drives and motivations, even when they are unconscious of them themselves.

I write about that in my last book, The Laws of Human Nature.

I have in the Laws of Human Nature tons of advice about that, paying attention to people's nonverbal cues.

I go very deeply into the shadow in a chapter in my last book The Laws of Human Nature and I try and talk about how one integrates the shadow because it's not an easy answer for that.

You have that as well I'm talking to the people at a week my readers, you have that aggressiveness when you were young and it got socialized out of you and then it got kind of got repressed and it's like a law self that lives inside of you and is screaming to come out.

A lot of that, well, he's got a billion laws of human nature and the mastery.

And Robert Greene, who I also interviewed on my show, he's the author of the Laws of Human Nature and the 50th Laws of Power, huge author.

So in the law of death denial, it says that most people are actually scared to confront the idea of death. They don't even think about it, they avoid the thought of death.

Probably the best thing that everybody here can do... is understanding human nature and studying books like, you know, Robert Greene's 48 Laws of Power or I think even better is his Laws of Human Nature.

This is from, I think, the laws of human nature.

The attitude is if we are fearful, we see negative in every circumstance. We don't take chances, we blame others for mistakes.

If we are suspicious or negative, we make others feel those same emotions. Then we create those outcomes for ourselves at home and at work.

I was interviewing Robert Green... I read his whole book... he was like oh this is really good why did this take so long you were so well prepared

and then I told Jen I was like oh yeah Robert Green really enjoyed this and it's because I read the whole book and she goes yeah and then I thought crap I probably have to read the book for every guest that comes on the show so that I'm equally well prepared that's really gonna make a difference in the show quality

I loved the laws of human nature I read the whole thing in about a week devoured it which is no small task on audible it's about 28 and a half hours long 29 hours.

When I look at the laws of human nature there is a lot of that but I look at it as if we don't understand these laws these are the these are the fundamental concepts that push and pull us as humans right.

And so this book comes from a similar place we're all flawed you know we come from we're all evolved from the same roots and we can't control who we are very into a large extent.

It's not all negative we have some positive traits but once you realize oh I am capable of feeling envy oh I am irrational at times oh I'm not going to be able to do that. I have a dark side with that awareness you can actually finally start to change yourself instead of going around in circles or deluding yourself that you are changing when in fact you're not.

I'm trying to bring that out in this book at the end of every chapter which you could sort of say is slightly negative. Narcissism irrationality you know on and on.

I was interviewing Robert Green the example I give a lot of time I read his whole book and he was like oh this is really good why did this take so long you were so well prepared

I loved the laws of human nature I read the whole thing in about a week devoured it which is no small task on audible it's about 28 and a half hours long 29 hours.

What I loved about this though was not and I think a lot of people grabbed this from the 48 laws of power they go oh well it's all about manipulation and stuff like that.

We have to understand this about ourselves so that we're not take an advantage of by others and we also need to understand our own weaknesses and vulnerabilities so that either we can find out when they're getting triggered or we can possibly eliminate them.

It's extremely liberating to be rid of all of that emotional baggage that you assume from other people thinking that they're they have something about against you or that they're reacting about you know something personal so that's the liberating aspect but the thing is we're social animals to the core right you wouldn't be here talking without all the millions of people who created language before you without your education.

The book is negative you mean? Well you could interpret it that way. Well I mean the chapter is about kind of a slight flaw in our chemistry right but at the end of each chapter I show how you can take that and turn it around. How you can take the lower nature and turn it into something positive right to give you a simple example.

This is very profound but it also sort of implies well, it does imply that demagogues use emotional pull to would you say influence us or control us?

Well, yeah, I think that's fairly obvious there. I mean, you don't have to call that thing out. I'm like, that makes me sound less intelligent. Okay, Captain obvious.

That's true, it's true. All I did was rephrase something and I'm supposed people go, wow Jordan really he understands the things that he looks at. Wow, Jordan, that was really, you really understand me.

So yes, the obvious that demagogues thrive on the emotional pull that they have over us.

Well, I mean the obvious elements they're not appealing to us through reason.

I loved the laws of human nature I read the whole thing in about a week devoured it which is no small task on audible it's about 28 and a half hours long 29 hours.

When I look at the laws of human nature there is a lot of that but I look at it as if we don't understand these laws these are the these are the fundamental concepts that push and pull us as humans right.

It can turn into the desire to compete and instead of envying what that other person has to actually achieve it for yourself and to emulate great people and try and you know instead of envying some really good writer why don't I become that good writer and sell enough books so I don't have to feel envy.

Envy was the chapter that hit me the hardest I actually just scrolled way down in my iPad notes here because I thought we may or may not get to this okay this chapter really spoke to me and I'm almost ashamed to admit it which actually is something you predict in the chapter on envy is that it's this emotion where.

If you need a favor don't remind people what you've done for them in the past, remind them of what they've done for you in the past.

And then I recognized you and I came up to you and I was like, you know, dealing with my own anxieties about certain things. I came up to you and I just was like, Ryan.

author who sold millions of copies, 48 laws of power, 33 strategies of war, mastery, the laws of human nature.

And so what I have loved so much about Robert, what's impressed me so much is what a cheerleader and selfless patron of my career he's been. He helped me get my first book deal, he introduced me to book agents, he's blurbed my books, he's given me advice. I feel like I've repaid him where I can. But he has selflessly supported and rooted for me and given me advice and had to put up, I'm sure obnoxiously with people asking him about me in interviews when they should be talking to him about him and his work. So for me that's such a great insight into Robert. He knows the law, he knows how other people typically behave in this situation, he knows what he could get away with, but then how he comports himself, the standard he holds himself to is something higher than the 48 Laws of Power, more virtuous than the 48 Laws of Power.

And then what did he do? He goes to this incredibly difficult, grueling rehab regimen so he could get back and market that book, which would become the fastest selling of all of his books.

he had an idea for the 40 laws of power and that guy fronted him uh Joe Steilfers who's oh that's right yeah on the first one.

the laws of human nature should not be the laws of human nature is a 600 book page book about you know everything that makes humans both rational and irrational

the laws of human nature literally almost killed him like two months before it came out he had a near fatal stroke driving in his car in Los Angeles and like was recestated by the paramedics and you know very easily could not have regained function yeah yeah his limbs let alone his mind

I knew working with Robert on the laws of human nature launch that he would literally do anything for his fans but sometimes discipline moderation is taking care of yourself and being safe rather than sorry.

Robert's next book is about the concept of the sublime these sort of sublime experiences he talks a little bit about this in the laws of human nature also very good but I think practicing gratitude really looking at all the good in your life all the lucky breaks that you've gotten how wondrous and amazing everything is this is also very humbling and that's sort of what I get on those walks outside in nature as well it's just some sense of something larger than myself something that I'm I feel lucky to be a part of and appreciate and so yeah I think gratitude and mastery are two sides of the same coin.

Robert Greenin in in his uh book The Laws of Human Nature he talks about the difference between shot and Freud like wishing bad things uh and other people in mitten Freud probably pronouncing least horribly wrong uh this is also a day we broke out in the daily laws which I was lucky enough to work on if you haven't ready should carry them in the paint of porch I think we even have some signed copies again I don't that there's another awesome daily book out there like I remember Rob going is that gonna be a problem with your book and I was like no this is amazing more people reading something every day it's good for the world and probably good for the category two anyways there's also a section of this in in the daily laws but mitten Freud is the active wishing of success or goodwill towards people I heard love once defined as as willing the good of the other like wanting good for the other wishing them happiness wishing them success as an author wishing wishing you the biggest first week sales you could possibly have I want that for you it doesn't come at my expense and even if it did who am I to root against you

you're still in this is key I mean he's had literally everyone you can imagine on professional art forgers to billionaire entrepreneurs to mafia hitmen to models to professional athletes he did this episode about birth control and how it alters the partners we pick and how medicine can affect\elements of our personalities he talks about just everything you can imagine it's just a great show recommend it

yeah it depends it depends on your background and you read a lot of books on psychology and if you can stem it going through a nearly 600 page book but it's you know I have a lot of people who you wouldn't think would be reading the laws of human nature but who reads it slowly and bit by bit and particularly here in a situation where you're dealing with a lot of difficult people

which I think you talk a lot about in laws of human nature and then you end up very surprised by the bad results

in the chapter on rationality