Book SummaryThe Elephant in the Brain, by Robin Hanson and Kevin Simler

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Elephant in the Brain

In The Elephant in the Brain, Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson argue that human behavior is driven by selfish motives hidden behind altruistic pretexts. They argue that because we’re a cooperative social species, our brains evolved to hide our true motives not just from others, but from ourselves so as to balance our selfishness with our need to get along. They call these selfish motives the “elephant in the brain” because, like the metaphorical “elephant in the room,” they’re a large, unavoidable problem that nobody wants to acknowledge. And the elephant doesn’t just affect us as individuals—it shows up in institutions like education, health care, and religion.

Therefore, Simler and Hanson say that if we learn to recognize the elephant, we can improve ourselves by being less selfish or by turning our self-interest toward better ends. Moreover, without understanding the real motives driving our social systems, we stand...

The Elephant in the Brain Summary Part 1: Where Hidden Motives Come From

At first glance, the idea of hidden motives may seem convoluted—why hide our true intentions not just from others, but from ourselves? The answer, according to Simler and Hanson, is that as a cooperative social species, we evolved to advance our own interests while appearing as selfless as possible—and it’s easier to deceive others if we’ve already deceived ourselves. In this section, we’ll explore how human life is organized around a set of social games and how our hidden motives help us get ahead in these games.

We Excel at Social Games

Simler and Hanson believe hidden motives are an evolutionary adaptation. They argue that the human brain evolved to excel simultaneously at selfishness and cooperation. The authors observe that humans are a fundamentally social species—we depend on cooperation to survive.

They point out that humans began as foragers—small nomadic bands who depended on each other’s help to find and share food, care for the sick and injured, and defend the band from predators and rival humans. They argue that this kind of cooperation requires an egalitarian culture—if any one individual or clique tries to dominate the group, they’ll ruin life...

The Elephant in the Brain Summary Part 2: Hidden Motives in Daily Life

Hidden motives may have evolved when humans still lived in small foraging societies, but according to Simler and Hanson, this phenomenon is now hard-wired into our brains. As a result, they say that hidden motives affect most aspects of our daily lives, from our interactions to our behaviors to our social institutions. In this section, we’ll explore how our communication is rife with hidden messages, how we use spending (and giving) to signal status, and how our social institutions are built around wholly different goals than the ones we admit to.

The Unspoken Messages in Our Communication

Considering hidden motives are a byproduct of humanity’s social nature, it’s no surprise that they show up in our most fundamental forms of communication. As we’ll see, both our speech and our body language are full of messages other than the ones we’re directly aware of.

Conversation

Simler and Hanson argue that while we might think the purpose of conversation is to share information, its actual purpose is for the speaker to advertise him/herself as a good potential ally. They say that good conversationalists exhibit two key qualities:

• They’re...

The Elephant in the Brain Summary Part 3: Final Thoughts on Taming the Elephant

If hidden motives really are as prevalent as Simler and Hanson say, we might be left with a bleak picture of humanity. The authors themselves acknowledge that we might not be happy to hear their insights—few of us want to admit when we’re driven by selfishness and other “bad” motives. Perhaps worse is the thought that our valued social institutions are based on selfish deception.

But there’s a silver lining to learning about the elephant: Once we recognize it, we can do something about it. That’s why throughout this guide, we’ve offered tips for applying Simler and Hanson’s insights to improve your own life. In that spirit, here are a few final—and more general—ideas about how taming the elephant lets us:

• Become less selfish and less self-deceived. For example, a researcher who honestly acknowledges that her work is driven in part by a desire to advance her career and win acclaim will be more likely to resist the temptation to doctor her results in order to get published. That’s because she’ll be able to choose between her (no longer) hidden desire for self-advancement and her altruistic desire to further scientific knowledge.
  • (Shortform note: According to...

Shortform Exercise: Spot Your Own Elephants

Simler and Hanson argue that many of our actions are driven by selfish motives hidden behind altruistic facades. They say these motives—and our tendency to hide them—are built into the human brain, which means none of us are immune. With that in mind, see if you can identify some of your own elephants.

Describe a time when you did or said something that you presented as selfless but was in fact selfish. Keep in mind that at the time, you may have genuinely thought your action was selfless.