The Happiness Hypothesis Notes [Part 1]

Elephant and Rider

Elephant -> intuition/ desires/ appetite. Far stronger and bigger

Rider -> rational

Haidt likes this metaphor the best because unlike other metaphors, it explains weakness of will.

Internal Divisions:

1: Mind and Body

Each part of the body in some ways has a mind of its own.

Ex: Boners ( Haidt used this example in the book)

2: Left and Right Brain

3: New vs Old

Elephant came first, which explains why one is more finely tuned than the other.

4: Controlled vs Automatic processing

Confabulation

Your preferences/ decisions come from elephant. Reasons for liking it come after.

Ex. You had a favorite color before you had reasons for why it was your favorite.

Are moral judgements made the same way? Haidt argues that, yes, they are. The feels come first. Thats why you rarely change people’s mind when you argue with them. The elephant made the decision and you’re only fighting the rider.

On the next episode: Implicit Bias, Negativity Bias, the Cortical lottery, and much more!