The Laws of Human Nature in English

Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to thank Anna Biller for her assistance on so many aspects of this book—including her deft editing, the endless insightful ideas she supplied me during our discussions, and all the love and support dur... more

Meditate on Our Common Mortality The Law of Death Denial Most of us spend our lives avoiding the thought of death. Instead, the inevitability of death should be continually on our minds. Understanding the shortness of life fills us with a sense of pu... more

Seize the Historical Moment The Law of Generational Myopia You are born into a generation that defines who you are more than you can imagine.

See the Hostility Behind the Friendly Facade The Law of Aggression On the surface, the people around you appear so polite and civilized. But beneath the mask, they are all inevitably dealing with frustrations

Make Them Want to Follow You The Law of Fickleness Although styles of leadership change with the times, one constant remains: people are always ambivalent about those in power.

Resist the Downward Pull of the Group The Law of Conformity We have a side to our character that we are generally unaware of—our social personality, the dif erent person we become when we operate in groups of people.

Advance with a Sense of Purpose The Law of Aimlessness Unlike animals, with their instincts to guide them past dangers, we humans have to rely upon our conscious decisions

Reconnect to the Masculine or Feminine Within You The Law of Gender Rigidity All of us have masculine and feminine qualities—some of this is genetic, and some of it comes from the profound influence of the parent of the opposite sex