The Elephant and the Rider - Deepstash

The Elephant and the Rider

The brain has two independent systems at work at all times.

  • First, there’s the emotional side. It’s the part of you that is instinctive, that feels pain and pleasure.
  • Second, there’s the rational side, also known as the reflective or conscious system. It’s the part of you that deliberates and analyzes and looks into the future.

Jonathan Haidt, the author of The Happiness Hypothesis, says that our emotional side is an Elephant and our rational side is its Rider. Change is only possible when both Rider and the Elephant come together. 

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