The Laws Of Human Nature - Deepstash

Explore the World's Best Ideas

Join today and uncover 100+ curated journeys from 50+ topics. Unlock access to our mobile app with extensive features.

The Laws Of Human Nature

The Laws Of Human Nature

We humans have a certain nature to us that has been with us since the very start of our existence. We are more or less a slave to it. However, through practice it can be channelled into something positive. In this book, Robert Greene introduces us to the laws of our human nature. Understand that every one of us operates under these laws. By having awareness of them, we gain a different perception of ourselves as well as others and will be able to live a more fulfilling and easier life. We will be able to understand other people better and build more empathetic and understanding relationships.

300

2.24K reads

MORE IDEAS ON THIS

#4: The Law Of Compulsive Behaviour

#4: The Law Of Compulsive Behaviour

Our character is developed in our childhood, through our experiences, habits and our attachment style. It is deeply ingrained and stamped within us. It is the reason why we behave the way we do and why we repeat our behaviour (even though...

290

1K reads

#12: The Law Of Gender Rigidity

#12: The Law Of Gender Rigidity

We all have masculine and feminine qualities in us. Their quantity is determined by our genetics, the society we grew up in and our parent of the opposite sex. We repress the masculine or feminine part within us that society doesn’t want ...

286

416 reads

#2: The Law Of Narcissism

#2: The Law Of Narcissism

We are all narcissists, some more (deep narcissists) or less (functional narcissists) than others. We are naturally self-absorped and mostly sensitive to ourselves. Our self-esteem is developed during childhood. We also naturally possess empathy

296

1.58K reads

Master Your Emotional Self

Master Your Emotional Self

  1. Recognise the biases: These include confirmation bias, conviction bias, appearance bias, the group bias, the blame bias and superiority bias.
  2. Beware the enflaming factors: Our emotions rise up when ou...

316

1.8K reads

Confront Your Dark Side

Confront Your Dark Side

  1. The energy of the shadow can be released through contradictory behaviour, emotional outbursts, vehement denial, “accidental” behaviour, overidealisation or projection.
  2. See through the types of people’s masks

285

506 reads

Become An Elusive Object Of Desire

Become An Elusive Object Of Desire

  1. Strategies for stimulating desire: Know how and when to withdraw. Create rivalries of desire. Use induction (something creates the contrast in our mind). Do something unconventional or advanced.
  2. The supreme de...

287

770 reads

Reconnect To The Masculine Or Feminine Within You

Reconnect To The Masculine Or Feminine Within You

  1. When in love, the other side within us comes out and takes control. C. G. Jung refers to this as animus (the “inner” male for the female) and anima (the “inner” female for the male).
  2. Types of gender projection...

282

415 reads

#18: The Law Of Death Denial

#18: The Law Of Death Denial

We repress the fact that we will all die one day and that death is inevitable. We don’t like thinking of death not only because of fear but also because of awkwardness. By thinking about death regularly (and in a healthy ...

283

328 reads

#13: The Law Of Aimlessness

#13: The Law Of Aimlessness

Because we don’t have instincts, we have to consciously make decisions and take control of our lives. However, most of them are directed by society or by our emotions which is why we often end up where we don’t want to be. We are rather aimless

281

388 reads

Meditate On Your Common Mortality

Meditate On Your Common Mortality

  1. The paradoxical death effect: People that experienced death closely are often more alive and awake than ever before.
  2. A philosophy of life through death: Make the awareness visceral. Awaken to the shor...

285

380 reads

#9: The Law Of Repression

#9: The Law Of Repression

We all have a shadow self within us that includes all of our negative feelings and traits. We conceal, repress and hide it by covering it up with a carefully crafted mask. Our shadow is mostly unconscious but by making it conscious we can...

283

500 reads

Advance With A Sense Of Purpose

Advance With A Sense Of Purpose

  1. Strategies to develop a high sense of purpose: Discover your calling in life. Use resistance and negative spurs. Absorb purposeful energy. Create a ladder of descending goals and lose yourself in the work.
  2. The...

283

395 reads

#1: The Law Of Irrationality

#1: The Law Of Irrationality

We think of ourselves as rational creatures that consciously make decisions and act out in a rational way. We forget that most of our behaviour is caused by our emotions and that even our thinking is never truly rational. However, rationa...

302

2.15K reads

Know Your Limits

Know Your Limits

  1. Illusions of grandiose leaders: “I am destined, I am a common man/woman, I deliver you, I rewrite the rules, I have the golden touch, I am invulnerable.”
  2. Fantastical grandiosity: It is a result of our...

279

422 reads

Make Them Want To Follow You

Make Them Want To Follow You

  1. Strategies for establishing authority: Find your authority style (authenticity). Focus outwardly (attitude). Cultivate the third eye (vision). Lead from the front (tone). Stir conflicting emotions (aura). Never appear to take but always to give (tabo...

284

366 reads

#8: The Law Of Self-Sabotage

#8: The Law Of Self-Sabotage

Our attitude determines how we see and interpret the world around us. As a result, we act in a way according to our attitude and sabotage ourselves with it. By having negative thoughts of the people around us, they sense our energy and turn away from us. ...

285

549 reads

#3: The Law Of Role-Playing

#3: The Law Of Role-Playing

We are all playing a role and wearing a mask. We like to present ourselves in a good way, that makes us seem confident, kind and likable. We like to conceal our negative traits, emotions and intentions. Personality comes ...

303

1.2K reads

#15: The Law Of Fickleness

#15: The Law Of Fickleness

People always feel ambivalent towards their leader, our feelings are never pure or simple. We want freedom and being lead, we love and hate our leader. Getting people to follow you freely takes time and practice. Appear powerful, legitimate and fair.

280

385 reads

#17: The Law Of Generational Myopia

#17: The Law Of Generational Myopia

We are born into a generation that has a huge influence on us. Every generation wants to separate itself from the previous one with new ideas and worldviews. During our childhood, we internalise these beliefs and in our a...

281

328 reads

ANTON CHEKHOV

“Man will only become better when you make him see what he is like.”

ANTON CHEKHOV

335

2.77K reads

Soften People's Resistence By Confirming Their Self-Opinion

Soften People's Resistence By Confirming Their Self-Opinion

  1. Become a master persuader: Become a deep listener. Infect people with the proper mood. Confirm their self-opinion (even negative ones) and the three qualities mentioned above. Allay their insecurities. Use people’s resistance and stubbornness. Use th...

290

609 reads

Seize The Historical Moment

Seize The Historical Moment

  1. Generational patterns: The 1st generation revolutionarily break with the past. The 2nd generation wants order and stabilisation. The 3rd generation is pragmatic, wants to solve problems and live comfortably. The 4th generation is unhappy with society...

284

328 reads

#6: The Law Of Shortsightedness

#6: The Law Of Shortsightedness

We are impressed by the things in the present moment that we tend to forget why they happened or what consequences they will have. This is why we overly react to present circumstances and grave instant gratification. With the passage of t...

288

716 reads

#5: The Law Of Covetousness

#5: The Law Of Covetousness

We are deeply affected by the absence and presence of something. Too much presence of something suffocates us while absence spurs our interest as it leaves room for imagination. We generally desire what we can’t or don’t have, which is considered as the

298

854 reads

#14: The Law Of Conformity

#14: The Law Of Conformity

When in a group, we are often a very different person as if we were on our own. We conform to the morals of the group and think, behave, feel and act like the rest of the group. We lose our individuality and are more pron...

281

358 reads

Resist The Downward Pull Of The Group

Resist The Downward Pull Of The Group

  1. The individual effect: We have a desire to fit in and a need to perform. We experience emotional contagion and hypercertainty.
  2. Group dynamics: Group culture, group rules & codes, group court, group en...

282

371 reads

See The Hostility Behind The Friendly Facade

See The Hostility Behind The Friendly Facade

  1. Chronic aggression: They are extremely obsessed with something and try to control it as best as they can.
  2. Strategies of passive aggressors: Showing subtle superiority (e.g. being purposely late), crav...

279

354 reads

Determine The Strength Of People's Character

Determine The Strength Of People's Character

  1. Understand your own character and how it has been formed: With this awareness you can recognise your negative patterns and channel your toxic traits into something positive.
  2. Read the character of the people yo...

298

930 reads

#11: The Law Of Grandiosity

#11: The Law Of Grandiosity

We all have a high opinion of ourselves and when this opinion is being confirmed, we feel grandiose. We forget the role luck or other people might have played in our success and tie it solely to ourselves. On the other hand, we think fail...

280

423 reads

#10: The Law Of Envy

#10: The Law Of Envy

We are constantly comparing and measuring ourselves with others. Some may channel this into a motivating force while others develop deep envy. It is most common in friendships. Notice any sign of envy and draw attention away from yourself...

279

460 reads

#16: The Law Of Aggression

#16: The Law Of Aggression

Behind their mask, people are dealing with frustration and aggression. We repress these unwanted feelings because we think of ourselves as peaceful and good. However, we want to control and manipulate people and can come off as passive-ag...

282

346 reads

Transform Self-Love Into Empathy

Transform Self-Love Into Empathy

  1. Be honest about your own nature and don't deny it.
  2. Recognise deep narcissists: They never take responsibility for their actions and quickly become angry or defensive when criticised (...

298

1.35K reads

See Through People's Masks

See Through People's Masks

  1. Observe other people closely and decode the cues: Often our true self slips through and we can see it in sudden nonverbal cues. They can be identified as like/dislike, dominance/submission and deception. Ta...

298

1.18K reads

Elevate Your Perspective

Elevate Your Perspective

  1. Signs of shortsightedness: Unintended consequences happen, we lost sight of our goal and fight for something else, we become impatient and grave more information right know and we are lost in trivia.
  2. The farsi...

293

666 reads

Change Your Circumstances By Changing Your Attitude

Change Your Circumstances By Changing Your Attitude

  1. Become aware of your own attitude and how it influences your circumstances. Believe that by changing it, you ultimately change your reality.
  2. Recognise constricted (negative) attitudes: The hostile att...

289

527 reads

#7: The Law Of Defensiveness

#7: The Law Of Defensiveness

In this competitive world we must look after ourselves first. We all think of ourselves as autonomous, intelligent and good people: “I am acting out of my own free will. I am intelligent in my own way. I am basically good and decent”. We hate being critic...

286

654 reads

Beware The Fragile Ego

Beware The Fragile Ego

  1. Signs of envy: Microexpressions, poisonous praise, backbiting, push and pull.
  2. Types of envy people: The leveller, the self-entitled slacker, the status fiend, the attacher and the insecure master.

281

475 reads

CURATED FROM

IDEAS CURATED BY

sonnixo

Psychology student with a passion for learning and developing as a person.

The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene is a book that I think everyone should read at least once in their lifetime.

Other curated ideas on this topic:

The Imperfections Of Our Human Nature

The Imperfections Of Our Human Nature

'Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made.' - Immanuel Kant

Kant urged us to recognize that nothing that people do can ever be perfect because we are creatures of passion and erroneous instinct as well as reason and intelligence. Accepting our crooke...

Biohacking And The Alteration Of Human Nature

When people experiment with other people to challenge the limits set by nature, the question of the risks of biohacking arise. Humans have been altering nature since the beginning of time, with animal harvesting and agriculture to name a few examples.

Biohacking may be controversial but it...

Human nature is more than biology

The level of happiness is part of our genetic makeup - we have a set level and cannot rise above or fall below it.

Some scientists envision the day that we can manipulate our happiness genes with precise nanoscale technologies. These mood bots will travel inside us to a part of the brain...

Read & Learn

20x Faster

without
deepstash

with
deepstash

with

deepstash

Personalized microlearning

100+ Learning Journeys

Access to 200,000+ ideas

Access to the mobile app

Unlimited idea saving

Unlimited history

Unlimited listening to ideas

Downloading & offline access

Supercharge your mind with one idea per day

Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.

Email

I agree to receive email updates