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Modern WisdomNov 12, 2018

#038 - Robin Hanson - The Hidden Motives in Everyday Life

Summary, books mentioned, transcript quotes, and timestamps for #038 - Robin Hanson - The Hidden Motives in Everyday Life on Modern Wisdom.

Notable books mentioned: Elephant in the Brain, Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Robin Hanson, The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson, Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, Elephant in the Brain by Robin Hanson

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Elephant in the Brain, Hidden Motives in Everyday Life cover
Mentioned at 3:49
Elephant in the Brain, Hidden Motives in Everyday Life
Robin Hanson

The host mentions 'Elephant in the Brain' to highlight how our primitive instincts influence modern consumer behavior and altruism. This book serve…

The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life cover
Mentioned at 36:03
The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life
Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson

The host mentions the book 'Elephant in the Brain' to explore the complexities of human motives and how they often contradict our stated intentions…

Sapiens cover
Mentioned at 1:05:31
Sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari

The host referenced 'Sapiens' to illustrate how human brains are wired for specific tasks like navigation and foraging, which contrasts sharply wit…

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#038 - Robin Hanson - The Hidden Motives in Everyday Life
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Episode summary, books & quotes

#038 - Robin Hanson - The Hidden Motives in Everyday Life mentions Elephant in the Brain, Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Robin Hanson, The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson, Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, and Elephant in the Brain by Robin Hanson with timestamps, quotes, and episode context.

Episode summary
Robin Hanson is associate professor of economics at George Mason University, author, and research associate at the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford University. Our decisions may feel like our own choice, but how much do our primitive brains play a part in determining the hidden motives of our everyday actions? Quite a lot according to Professor Hanson. This is a fantastic introduction to evolutionary psychology as we uncover the hidden motives behind gossip, laughter, charity, cheating, social norms, body language and an awful lot more. Resources: Elephant In The Brain The Book: http://amzn.eu/d/eOMBylr Robin's Blog: http://www.overcomingbias.com/ Robin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/robinhanson Check out everything I recommend from books to products and help support the podcast at no extra cost to you by shopping through this link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/modernwisdom - Get in touch. Join the discussion with me and other like minded listeners in the episode comments on the MW YouTube Channel or message me... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ModernWisdomPodcast Email: https://www.chriswillx.com/contact
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Summary, books mentioned, transcript quotes, and timestamps for #038 - Robin Hanson - The Hidden Motives in Everyday Life on Modern Wisdom.

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  • The conversation centers on hidden motives in behavior.
  • A second recurring theme is hidden motives in everyday life.
  • Referenced books include Elephant in the Brain, Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Robin Hanson and The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson.
  • The strongest audience signal points to Individuals interested in psychology and behavioral economics. and Individuals interested in anthropology and human evolution.

Which books are mentioned in #038 - Robin Hanson - The Hidden Motives in Everyday Life?

Elephant in the Brain, Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Robin Hanson, The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson, and Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari are the clearest linked books in this episode, each tied back to transcript timestamps and quote cards.

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Mention sentiment
Deep Dive(3)Highly Recommended(1)
Audience signals
Individuals interested in psychology and behavioral economics.Individuals interested in anthropology and human evolutionIndividuals interested in psychology and human behavior

Books Mentioned

Elephant in the Brain, Hidden Motives in Everyday Life cover
Best for Individuals interested in psychology and behavioral economics.Often cited around hidden motives in behavior

Your book, Elephant in the Brain, Hidden Motives in Everyday Life, it came out at the start of the year.

View mention details
Sentiment: Deep Dive
For: Individuals interested in psychology and behavioral economics.
Key quote: the elephant in the brain is a metaphor analogous to the elephant in the room.
The host mentions 'Elephant in the Brain' to highlight how our primitive instincts influence modern consumer behavior and altruism. This book serves as a framework for understanding the often unacknowledged motives behind our actions, which can lead to a deeper comprehension of human behavior.
ASIN: B07H8K4G9G
Buy on Amazon
The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life cover
Best for Individuals interested in psychology and behavioral economics.Often cited around hidden motives in behavior

The excerpt discusses themes of bragging and social behavior, indicating that the authors have written a book on these topics.

View mention details
Sentiment: Deep Dive
For: Individuals interested in psychology and behavioral economics.
Key quote: the elephant in the brain is a metaphor analogous to the elephant in the room.
The host mentions the book 'Elephant in the Brain' to explore the complexities of human motives and how they often contradict our stated intentions. This discussion aims to uncover the underlying reasons behind seemingly irrational behaviors in everyday life.
ASIN: B09FHT8TZ8
Buy on Amazon
Sapiens cover
Sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari
Best for Individuals interested in anthropology and human evolutionOften cited around human cognitive capacity

The speaker mentions reading 'Sapiens' by Yuval Noah Harari, discussing how our brains are wired for remembering plants, seasons, and terrain navigation.

View mention details
Sentiment: Deep Dive
For: Individuals interested in anthropology and human evolution
Key quote: he was talking about how our brains are, um, disproportionately wired to be capable of remembering plants, seasons, and, uh, terrain navigation.
The host referenced 'Sapiens' to illustrate how human brains are wired for specific tasks like navigation and foraging, which contrasts sharply with modern society's reliance on technology. This discussion highlights the adaptability of humans despite the mismatch between our evolutionary design and contemporary environments.
ASIN: B0741F3M7C
Buy on Amazon
Elephant in the Brain cover
Best for Individuals interested in psychology and human behaviorOften cited around hidden motives in everyday life

The speaker refers to their book 'Elephant in the Brain' and discusses its themes and the importance of understanding hidden motives.

View mention details
Sentiment: Highly Recommended
For: Individuals interested in psychology and human behavior
Key quote: If you've never dabbled in the world of evolutionary psychology before, this is a fantastic introduction to it and I found it super interesting.
The host mentions 'The Elephant in the Brain' as an insightful introduction to evolutionary psychology, emphasizing how our hidden motives influence our actions. The discussion highlights the relevance of these concepts in understanding human behavior and societal norms.
ASIN: B07H8K4G9G
Buy on Amazon

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