Law of Human Nature Review | Robert Green's book summary |

Although no two people are alike, there are some universal rules that control the majority of our actions. Robert Greene's book Laws of Human Nature contains 18 laws that help us better comprehend humanity. This page is a quick rundown of all of the laws he mentions in his book. After reading this article, you will undoubtedly be able to see individuals with diverse perspectives and understand them better than before.

1. Law of irrationality.  

The price of Bitcoin and it's popularity skyrocketed just a few months ago. If you asked everyone who was buying it at the time about why they were doing it, they would say it was a sensible decision. All of these persons believed they were making a sensible choice. When the price of Cryptocurrencies began to plummet, many of them sold it at a loss and pondered where they went wrong.

The problem was that both the buying and selling decisions were unreasonable. In the stock market, people behave similarly. It's not about the stock market or Cryptocurrency, but it's about the fact that people are basically irrational, and we just delude ourselves into believing we're rational. We have a tendency to make decisions based on emotions and without considering the benefits and drawbacks of our choices.

2.  Law of narcissism.

When most people first met Joseph Stalin, they thought he was charming. He appeared to be a pleasant individual who would encourage everyone to speak freely. He would pay such close attention to you when you spoke to him you would feel gratified that he was even listening to you.

Many people who worked with him in his early years said they were eager to see him again because he made you feel like you had a link with him, despite the fact that this was the same man who was responsible for millions of fatalities in his later years. He assassinated all of his closest pals, both directly and indirectly, at one point. Joseph Stalin, according to Robert Greene, was a complete controlled narcissist. People who think like him regard themselves as the center of the universe and have a strong sense of self. They can be entrepreneurs, legislators, and leaders. However, the individuals closest to them are nearly invariably the ones that suffer the most. While these types of people are uncommon in the world, we should be aware of their existence and keep as far away from them as possible.

Robert Greene also claims that nowadays, everyone is a little egocentric. We all have a tendency to think highly of ourselves, and this is exacerbated by social media, where a few thousand followers might lead you to believe you are more significant than you are. To counteract this, we all need to be more empathic.

 3. Law number three law of role playing.

Every person is a performer in some manner. From an early age, we learn which facial gestures and sounds will get us the things we want from our parents. Many of these actions become internalized as we get older, and they become a part of who we present ourselves to be. As a result, everyone wears a mask in some fashion. Masks that present us in the best light possible. If you believe this mask to be genuine, you will never be able to comprehend the nature of most individuals. Instead, you must learn to see through people's facades and realize them for who they truly are.

In essence, Robert Greene discusses interpreting people's unconscious body language. People constantly reveal their genuine feelings and unconscious wants through nonverbal cues they can't control, such as facial expressions, vocal inflections, nervous takes, and so on.

4. Law of compulsive behavior.

Howard Hughes was a nervous yet sweet child who received a lot of attention from his mother. He was always smiling and pleasant, and he was generally a good youngster. His mother died when he was young, and his father died a few years later. His parents had left him a sizable inheritance, and he found himself unexpectedly in charge of a large corporation. His demeanor abruptly changed, and he became enraged and unpleasant, buying back all of his company's shares from his other family and ejecting them. He was determined to be self-sufficient, so he relocated to Los Angeles and established a film studio with the money he had.

When he began shooting his debut film, everyone involved in the production learned what a pain he was to work with. He was overbearing and refused to allow the director to make creative decisions. He had to be the conduit for everything. After firing the director, he decided to direct the film himself. Surprisingly, that film was a box office triumph, and the mythology of the great Howard Hughes was established.

He even launched an aircraft company as a hobby and managed to charm his way into a contract to build photo reconnaissance planes with the government. His attitude remained the same, and his firm was in disarray. Everyone disliked working for him, and the general managers kept resigning because he was constantly undermining their authority. He was ultimately unable to complete the contract, but he was able to secure another contract later on. However, he was unable to do so, and his company suffered a loss of almost 90 million dollars.

He died in an airplane crash, and an autopsy found that he was hopelessly addicted to drugs, which he sought to hide from the rest of the world. In summary, the man had a bad reputation from the outset.

The strength of a person's character, according to Robert Greene, originates from the heart of their personality. Genetics, decent parenting, mentors along the way, and ongoing progress are all factors. Our personality can lead us to engage in obsessive behavior. If someone has a bad reputation for infidelity, for example, don't be surprised if you're dating them and they wind up cheating on you. To determine the strength of a person's character, you must learn to see behind the charm and facade that they present to you and examine their past history, actions, and behavior.

5. Law of covetousness.

Gabriel Chanel was a little French girl whose mother died young. At the age of 18, her father abandoned her and put her to a convent. She transferred from the convent to a boarding school, where she began her training as a seamstress. She immediately became disillusioned with what she was doing and discovered a new love for acting. She admired how anyone could transform into another person on stage. She adopted the stage name coco and experimented with acting, singing, and other forms of performance. She quickly recognized, however, that she lacked the necessary talent to succeed.

She subsequently took a detour into a different career route. Many unsuccessful actresses would become courtesans, financed by affluent lovers. They'd live in great houses, wear fine outfits, and be looked down upon by society. At the very least, they were living the high life.

She accepted a courtesan's invitation from a man named Balzen. She was still dissatisfied with her life and yearning for more. She stumbled into Balzen's room one day and began to dress in his men's clothes. She mixed and matched them with some of her own clothes to create a variety of ensembles. This was a new androgynous yet gorgeous style that didn't exist for women at the time, and all the other courtesans sought these new costumes. Soon after, she met Arthur Capel, who introduced her to aristocratic women. They adored her new ensembles, so she relocated to Paris and began selling everything she owned to them. She had now established herself as a fashion icon.

People couldn't get enough of anything she created, and the Coco Chanel brand, which is today ubiquitous, was formed. Chanel was able to concentrate on the desires of other ladies. She was able to comprehend the repressed wants and fantasies that are a part of human nature, and those who do can take advantage of it.

6. Law of short-sightedness.

Have you ever met someone who is continually complaining about how horrible things are in the world? They observe a handful of fresh articles and decide that World War III is on the horizon or that we are at the end of the world. You've probably seen people who fall for every get-rich-quick gimmick out there. They appear to believe that the stock they chose is the right one, and that an anonymous cryptocurrency is the way of the future. They appear to lack the ability to think long term in general. Being short-sighted is, after all, a fundamental aspect of human nature.

We should always try to see things from a different perspective. Despite of being seduced by a few new stories, we should study history and learn about humanity's cycles. You'll always be responding to the environment until you can enhance your perspective, and you'll be taken advantage of.

 7. Law of defensiveness.

We build a defensive and self-protective portion of our personality from childhood that we believe others should not be permitted to violate. Later on, this forms a significant component of our identity. We never want to feel compelled or persuaded into doing anything we don't want to do. We want to believe that every decision we make is our own. We never want our sense of self to be questioned, and this is typically for good reason. We shall be left with nothing if every individual we meet may challenge our view of ourselves. But there are times when we let down our guard and allow others in. It may be a night out drinking with the lads or a passionate love affair. We do this because we don't feel criticized and believe we can relax our guard and actually connect with others. You must instill in others the same sense of security that you enjoy. If you can master this skill, you will have enormous power over others.

8. Law of self-sabotage.

In the book, Robert Greene gives us an example that exemplifies this concept. Assume a young man travels to Paris. He's a bit shy and doesn't speak French, but he's genuinely delighted about the prospect of visiting. When he arrives, he discovers that the locals aren't particularly nice. He has trouble communicating with others. Even the tourist sites do not cheer him up because they are so crowded. A young extroverted woman, on the other hand, travels to Paris. She is more outgoing, and she doesn't worry if the people around her aren't pleasant because she makes her own friends wherever she goes. She adores French and strives to improve her command of the language. She appreciates being surrounded by a large number of people. These two individuals have drastically different perspectives on the same city. It was the man's mentality, not the city that made the situation worse for him. We must not underestimate our attitude's ability to sabotage our lives and experiences. As a result, we must always strive to build a positive mindset that will benefit us in life. Even if we overstate this point, it will only serve to create a good self-fulfilling prophecy.

 9. Law of repression.

Humans are social animals, and we learn early on that there are certain emotions that are appropriate to display to others and others that must be suppressed, so we grow up to be pleasant and polite people on the outside. However, many of us have repressed portions of ourselves on the inside. Because of its repressed nature, many people are unaware that it exists, according to Carl Jung. When you're frustrated and emotional, it could come out in a fit of rage. The key to becoming a real human, according to Robert Greene, is to merge this aspect of your personality with the rest of you. While the specifics of how to do so are beyond the scope of this article, you should be aware that becoming honest is one of the most effective methods to draw people to our true selves.

10. Law of Envy.

Because most people don't admit to feeling envious, envy is one of the most difficult emotions to understand. Envy, on the other hand, is a natural part of human nature; we are constantly comparing ourselves to those around us in order to figure out where we fit into the social hierarchy; after all, we are social creatures. The issue is that we are usually the most envious of those around us, particularly our friends. If you have friends who are envious of you on the outside, they may act as if everything is fine, but their actions toward you may be motivated by envy.

You must become a student of envy in order to recognize an envy assault going on before it occurs. You must also learn to eliminate envy in yourself by creating your own moral code by which you will judge yourself rather than comparing yourself to others.

11. Law of grandiosity.

Have you ever played a call of duty video game? You felt like an absolute god while destroying other individuals. That is the grandiosity law. We can easily let even a small amount of success get to our heads during play, and we begin to have grandiose fantasies of ourselves. We overlook the importance of luck in our success. We often overlook those who have aided us along the way. As a result, as we get more successful, we begin to feel superior. On your path to success, cultivating a feeling of humility is essential.

12. Law of gender rigidity.

Our nature has both masculine and feminine aspects to it. According to Robert Greene, we might overidentify with the attributes we wish to project to the world and suppress the other aspects of our selves. To attain our full potential, we must grow comfortable with both our masculine and feminine aspects and establish a feeling of balance.

13. Law of aimlessness.

Unlike animals, who are largely directed by their instincts, humans have the freedom to choose our actions and make our own decisions. Unfortunately, if these efforts do not serve a larger objective, we begin to believe that they are pointless. As a result, we should all aim to have a purpose that gives meaning to our actions and makes us feel more fulfilled.

14. Law of conformity.

We don't want to be viewed as outsiders, therefore we confirm our beliefs with what the rest of the group believes. However, this will dull the part of ourselves that makes us special, depriving the world of our special gifts. What we need to learn is how to create an inner intelligence that allows us to comply externally in a social situation. However, we are self-aware and forming our own thoughts and ideas on the inside, which allows us to have the best of both worlds.

15. Law of fickleness.

Because most individuals are changeable, being a leader is difficult. They want to be guided yet also want to be independent. They want to revere the monarch while also attempting to assassinate him. If you want to be a leader, you'll need to master this balance. The earlier you learn how to accomplish this in life, according to Robert, the better off you will be.

16. Law of aggressiveness.

Everyone has unfulfilled wants, which might make individuals more hostile toward you. You must learn to recognize violence before it catches you off guard. You must also learn to channel your own aggression towards your goals, as this will provide you with so much energy that you will be able to beat your ambitions into submission.

17. Law of generational myopia.

Every generation aspires to be distinct from the one before it. They may rebel against established standards, but their revolt is frequently predictable. This generational outlook may have a greater impact on you than you realize. As a result, your role is to become a bystander. Don't let your generational myopia blind you; only then will you be able to use it to your advantage, whether for business or simply to better understand the world around you.

18. Law of death denial.

The majority of people are unconcerned about their own death. What we should do, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. Our own death must always be on our minds because only then can we truly grasp and drill down into what route we truly wish to take in this one life.

 If you've made it this far, congratulations on obtaining the keys to human nature. Continue to visit this blog for additional self-improvement articles and postings. That's all for now, and thank you for taking the time to read.