In The Laws of Human Nature [2018] author Robert Greene attempts to explain and demystify something that should be so simple yet it’s so difficult and elusive: our own nature as human beings.

Contents

Bullet Summary

• Choose the important people in your life based on their strength of character first and foremost
• Understand, accept, and use your dark side: both the repressed desires and your aggression
• Use your mortality to instill in yourself a sense of urgency

Full Summary

About The Author: Robert Greene is a popular writer of books on power, psychology, life strategies, and people’s strategies. Albeit not a psychologist himself, Green distinguishes himself for the depth of his understanding of human nature -particularly the “darker side”-. Robert Greene is also the author of “The 48 Laws of Power“, “The Art of Seduction“, “Mastery” and “The 50th Law of Power“.

About the “Laws of Human Nature”

Greene has always taken the time to research his books thoroughly. In the case of “The Laws of Human Nature“, it took a whole 6 years. And expectations were sky-high.

Drawing from different disciplines and from the most desperate authors such as Ramachandran, Kahneman, and Jung, Greene says:

Consider the law of human nature a code book for deciphering human nature.

Introduction

Robert Greene says that modernity might lead us to believe we are transcending human nature.

But the opposite is true: we have never been more enslaved by human nature as we are today.

Our emotions have only been heightened by social media, and viral news makes it all the easier to inflame hearts and evade rationality. And it’s easier than ever for manipulative politicians and leaders to manipulate us.

Manipulation: Techniques, Strategies, & Ethics

And look at our tribal tendencies, which digitalization has only made easier. Now we can find our little groups and insulate ourselves with groupthink and herd mentality [see “red pill analysis” as an example].

The aim of “The Laws of Human Nature” is twofold:

1. Help people judge others more effectively while making it difficult for the more destructive types to harm you
2. Learn your own human nature for true self-development

   We are all cut from the same cloth, and we all share the same tendencies. The sooner you realize this, the greater your power will be to overcome the negative traits within you

1: Master Your Emotional Self

The Law of Irrationality

We think we are rational, but we are not.

To achieve our potential, we need to learn how we are irrational and reactive to the world.

Ask yourself where your irrational drives come from. Why are you angry, why are you being resentful?

Greene talks about the 2008 financial crisis and expands on psychological biases.

The author says that history shows there have been men of great rationality, which are proof that yes, we can be rational and increase our chances of success by becoming more rational.

The longer you can resist reacting, the more mental space for actual reflection

2: Transform Self-love into Empathy

The Law of Narcissism

Narcissism has been on a steady rise in the last decades and it climbed to record highs with the latest generations. We are all a bit narcissistic. But your goal is to move to a healthy narcissism.

To do so, you Be honest with your self-absorption: don’t dupe yourself that you’re altruistic

Healthy narcissists are driven and focus their drive outward, they incorporate feedback and recover quickly from failures and setbacks.

In his usual historical examples, Greene talks about Stalin. Stalin came to loathe his closest friends because he had to play a charming game with them. And why should he be charming with anyone?

This is an important lesson about how power can turn friendships into enemies.

Also, read:

• How to overcome an entitled mentality
• Winner narcissists VS losers narcissists

  Turn off the internal monologue to tune in to the world

3: See Through People’s Mask

The Law of Role-playing

Humans are consummate actors, we all wear a mask and we all learn how to lie. We adapt ourselves to our groups and we are so good at acting that we don’t even realize we do.

In this chapter, Greene goes into body language, but the value of learning language from a book is limited.

Also, read:

• The Mask of Masculinity

4: Determine the Strength of People’s Character

The Law of Compulsive Behavior

Character is a primary value when evaluating people to work for or partner with. Their characters matter more than their charm, intelligence, or charisma.

The strength of someone’s character comes from the core of someone’s personality. It comes from genetics, good parenting, mentors along the way, and continuous improvement.

Strong characters stem from a feeling of personal security and self-worth. They:

• Can take criticism and learn from experience
• Don’t easily give up because want to get better
• Not insecure about their personal status, they can subsume their interests to that of the group

Weak people:

• Are overcome by circumstances
• They’re slippery and evasive
• Don’t improve much because they can’t take criticism

Try to test people’s character by making a joke, criticizing them, or giving them a challenging task. And associate only with strong characters. Put the strength of character above intelligence and charm.

Accept Your Character

Robert Greene says that we all have a rather strong and set character through our genes and childhood. Refusing to accept it is refusing to influence it. Instead, we need to learn how we are wired and then we will have a certain control to smooth our edges.

5: Become an Elusive Object of Desire

The Law of Covetousness

Instead of focusing on what you want, focus on what others want, on their repressed desires and fantasies.

What you offer should be new, unfamiliar, and exotic. Or at least, presented as such.

6: Elevate Your Perspective

The Law of Shortsightedness

Keep a long irrespective, and avoid being pulled by new trends and new shining objects. Stick with what you start and prioritize based on your long-term goals.

Also, read:

• The One Thing
• First Things First
• Good to Great

7: Soften People’s Resistance by Confirming Their Self-Opinion

The Law of Defensiveness

As Carnegie says in How to Win Friends, to be interesting, be interesting. Make others the focus of attention.

Similar to Chris Voss, To influence people Robert Greene recommends you stop trying to push them. Instead, take a step back and assume an inferior position. Ask them for advice, and make them feel good. Make a small favor for them, and induce them to reciprocate.

Don’t remind them of the favors you have done for them in the past. It doesn’t make them feel grateful, it reminds them of their dependence on others and we want to feel independent. Instead, remind them of what they’ve done for you in the past. Confirm their self-opinion as good people.

Also, read:

• What’s in it for them
• What’s in it for them examples

8: Change Your Circumstance by Changing Your Attitude

The Law of Self-sabotage

You are not a pawn, you are an active player. Mind and body are one, and one influences the other.

Don’t see yourself as limited by birth: think that you can grow and improve.

Also, read:

• Personal Power II
• Awaken The Giant Within
• How to develop a growth mindset

9: Confront Your Dark Side

The Law of Repression

We all have a dark side, but most of us mask it.

Greene uses Carl Jung’s terminology of “the shadow”, which consists of all that we try to deny about ourselves and that we regret.

But denying and hiding it causes a whole host of problems. Depression and anxiety come from not being our true selves, from always playing a role.

We internalize all the ideals of our culture such as “being nice” and having pro-social values, which are often necessary for the smooth functioning of our society. But in the process, it pushes a big part of our personality into that repressed corner that Jung called the shadow.

Greene instead welcomes the reader to include our dark side in who we are, to accept it and to use it for good and to fuel us towards our goals.

For more on the dark side also read:

• To be good you first need to be bad
• 12 Rules for Life
• Relentless

You often recognize people with a repressed dark side by their exaggeration. Too much masculinity, for example, betrays a yearning to be dominated. Or too much saintliness, hiding their sexual appetites or their hunger for power.

Here is how to introduce the shadow within ourselves:

• See the shadow [look for opposite traits in yourself, emotional outbursts, insecurity]
• Don’t run from it [the tendency will be to run away: don’t]
• Embrace it
• Use it [to fuel your hunger]

Also, see how I used my dark side:

10: Beware the Fragile Ego

The Law of Envy

We always compare with one another, and it rarely leads to good results for us. Learn to develop your self-confidence from internal sources instead of comparisons. And deflect the envy by drawing attention away from you.

We disguise our envy to ourselves because that would mean we have to admit our inferiority. So we blame instead the system, bad luck, unfairness… Or the object of our envy himself.

Also, read:

• How to spot a frenemy

Do the following to overcome your own envy:

• Move closer to them [and you will see they have issues and problems just like anybody else]
• Compare with those who have less to reduce envy and increase gratitude
• Practice “mitfreude”, the happiness for your friends
• Transmute envy into a desire for emulation and raise to their levels
• Admire others as a sign of human nature’s potential

11: Know Your Limits

The Law of Grandiosity

We all have a need to feel superior to others. But the more successful we get, the more superior we feel, and that creates a disconnect with reality that can easily become our downfall.

• Come to terms with your grandiosity needs
• Concentrate energy: focus deeply and completely on one thing
• Practical grandiosity: focus on goals that stretch you but that you can reach
• Let loose your grandiose energy

12: Reconnect to the Masculine/Feminine Within You

The Law of Gender Rigidity

Greene says that we all tend towards the feminine or masculine, but we have both. When people go too far in repressing the opposite gender within them, they will leak out in a caricature form.

And it’s often the people with internal conflicts who lean too strongly towards one gender while trying to suppress the other.

Greene says that hostility towards the opposite gender is stronger in men. It’s born out of a sense of insecurity and he says it’s possibly because of the hostility men feel towards their mothers for a time when they were fully dependent.

The author invites the readers to embrace the opposite gender within us, which will unleash double the power [and will help us better connect with each other].

13: Advance with a Sense of Purpose

The Law of Aimlessness

Similar to what he recommends in Mastery, Greene invites younger readers to explore and try different things to find their passion and purpose.

The biggest obstacle you will face in pursuing your purpose is those drudging moments of difficulties, pain, and boredom. Greene says you should learn to get into the flow, and once you experience it, you will become addicted and always want to come back to it.

Also, read:

• The Obstacle Is The Way
• The Talent Code

14: Resist the Downward Pull of the Group

The Law of Conformity

This was by far my favorite chapter.

Here Greene goes a bit into social psychology and sociology.

We are attracted to numbers and groups, we like losing ourselves in the group’s energy. But we also have an urgent need to fit in. We like to tell ourselves we are independent, but we are not: the people around us exert pressure on us, and instead of denying it we should leverage it.

Differences among groups are often exaggerated to create stronger feelings of “outgroup/ingroup” and of similarity among the members. Don’t fall for the tendency of denigrating your enemy: see him for who he is, and learn from what he does better.

We must come to the conclusion that the primary group we belong to is that of the human race. Anything else is regressive and far too dangerous.

15: Make Them Want to Follow You

The Law of Fickleness

The Laws of Human Nature is a great book. And this chapter on leadership stood out for the quality of its psychological dissertation on leadership.

Leadership is always built on a dichotomy, Greene says. On one side, people want to be led and they look up to a great and strong leader. At the same time, they resent him. They resent his position, the power he has, and the power he has over them.

People in power though see only the smiles, and they mistake it for unending approval. When they make a mistake and people will be clamoring for their heads, they are taken by surprise. They shouldn’t, it’s just the normal release of aggression and pent-up resentment that is channeled against the leader.

As a leader, you must be seen working harder than everyone else, says Greene. Also, read:

• How to be a leader
• Best leadership books
• Leadership and power for women

Greene also recommends that it’s better to start tough. You always have time to show your soft side. But if you start soft, people might think of you as a pushover.

16: See the Hostility Behind the Friendly Facade

The Law of Aggression

Our culture, civilization, and society tend to repress our most aggressive instincts. But we all have it, it’s what made us the apex predator on earth, and instead of repressing it, we should use our aggression.

Also, if you don’t, you will be run over by those who do. Aggressive people tend to obsess over the objects people, which is a sign they want to swallow them whole.

Take stock of physical obsessions, like anger in being overtaken or always wanting to be front and center. Case in point with Trump:

Fight the aggressive types indirectly, and avoid making them feel not in control, which is their greatest fear.

Also, read:

• How to leverage your dark side
• The Art of The Deal

17: Seize the Historical Moment

The Law of Generational Myopia

Ibn Khaldun was the first to come up with the idea of “generations” and “generational cycles”.

Every generation has its spirit, its peculiarities. Like individuals, they will also have their shadow and their repressed yearnings. Often, like individuals, they swing in the opposite direction of their most repressed feelings.

The generation you are born into shapes the way you are, and presents unique opportunities for you. Greene recommends you don’t go completely against the grain or you will end up isolated and in trouble. Instead of bucking the trend, it’s best instead to redirect the flow of your generation.

18: Meditate on Our Common Mortality

The Law of Death Denial

We all try to avoid thoughts of death, but it’s a mistake. Death is there, whether you like it or not. And to echo the sentiment all across The Laws of Human Nature, Greene invites the readers to use and leverage reality rather than trying to fight it or forget it.

Meditate on your death so that you will make the most of your time, instilling a sense of urgency in your purpose and goals.

Also, read:

• How to leverage your mortality for life

Real-Life Applications

Accept people for who they are, not for what you want them to be Don’t project your emotions onto them, and don’t try to change who they are.

Watch out for fake illnesses to control you Partners sometimes can fake or exaggerate illnesses to force their partners to play by their rules.

Criticism

Albeit “The Laws of Human Nature” is possibly my favorite book from Greene and one of the best self-help books ever, there is still some criticism to be mentioned.

1. Very Freudian

I find Robert Greene to be very Freudian.

Much of what the personality traits he ascribes to childhood and parents and he often invites the readers to investigate people’s past. I am not too sold on that. And neither are revered psychologists such as Martin Seligman, who developed positive psychology around the rejection of Freud’s big mistakes.

2. Sometimes Poor Interpretation of Events

In a few instances, the laws and recommendations are based on wrong assumptions.

For example, Greene says we should try to better understand trends and future events. Wolfgang was so good at predicting the future, tells, Robert Greene. He even predicted the unification of Europe, which started happening after WWII!

But that makes no sense.

Wolfgang didn’t predict anything, he simply said something would happen.

And on a long enough timeline, whatever you say is bound to happen. I can say today that “Europe will divide once again”, and on a long enough timeline, it’s quite likely that I’ll be right [sadly].

Also read: Fooled by Randomness.

3. Too Many Personality Types

If we were to count the personality types of The Laws of Human Nature we’d probably end up close to one hundred.

I love a good psychological analysis, but they seemed a bit too many and the descriptions were not always deep enough to warrant their own category.

4. Personal interpretations presented as truths

The Goldwater rule says that psychiatrists shouldn’t attempt to diagnose people from afar.

Not only Greene is not a psychiatrist, and not only he diagnoses people from afar, but he also diagnoses long-dead individuals. And presents his diagnoses as obvious, foregone conclusions.

I think he might be even right more times than not, but that’s something to keep in mind.

And, after all, it’s a power move to sound more authoritative: remove all “maybes” and people will follow you [charismatic leadership style].

5. Sometimes Off-Topic Information

The Laws of Human Nature gives career and workplace advice [coddle to your boss] under the chapter on group dynamics.

The content was extremely good and I even referenced it for Power Univeristy. The placement within that chapter was a bit less good as it sounded off-topic.

6. Exaggerated, Unrealistic Historical Examples

Some of the famous Greene historical examples are exaggerated and add a lot of bombast for [possibly] marketing and mass appeal.

For example, here is an example to explain the importance of reading body language: a woman sits at a doctor’s practice and the doctor asks her: “does your husband know about your affair?”. He knew by watching her signs of nervousness and the way she said “hi”. As plenty of body language experts explain, you cannot jump to that type of conclusion without being wrong more times than not.

Another example is Haig. Greene says that Haig rose through the rank playing one of the games that he so well describes until the point when he became chief of staff and told the cameras “I am in charge here”.

But just look at the videos and you will realize that Greene heavily misrepresents the facts:

Haig did not say “I’m in charge”, he said, “I’m in control… Here at the White House, pending the return of the vice president, if something came up I would check with him, of course”.

Big difference, isn’t it?

PROS

• Deep Wisdom

I won’t list a hundred pros because one suffices: The Laws of Human Nature reaches a depth of analysis and human understanding that few other texts can match.

And that’s what I like about Greene: he understands people and psychology to a degree that few other authors have matched.

Video Summary & Review

And here is a good video summary and review of The Laws of Human Nature:

Review

I guess I can count myself as a big fan of Robert Greene.

I loved most of his books.

And “The Laws of Human Nature” delivers on its promise and ranks up there with Greene’s very best work. Boatloads of deep wisdom and deep psychological analysis from the master.

The Laws of Human Nature is different than his previous work, though. It’s more holistic and more self-focused. It’s about how we all are, our shortcomings, and what we can do to most past our limitations and develop ourselves.

In that sense, it’s the ultimate self-help book grounded in psychology.

I had many “aha moments” while listening to “The Laws of Human Nature“, and I certainly ended it a wiser and richer man. It’s almost painful having to delete the audio file from my phone. Weeks after I finished the book, the file is still there.

Whether you want to improve yourself and your mindset or better understand people, The Laws of Human Nature delivers.

Is it worth reading The Laws of Human Nature?

Reading The Laws of Human Nature was a pivotal point in my life. It helped me to see things from a different perspective and gave me insights into my behaviour and how it affects those around me. It was truly transformative and has enabled me to live a happier, more meaningful life.

What does The Laws of Human Nature teaches you?

The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene is a guide to understanding human behavior. Drawing on psychology, philosophy, and history, it provides insights into why people do what they do and how to navigate complex social situations.

Which is better the 48 Laws of Power or The Laws of Human Nature?

Both "The Laws of Human Nature" and "The 48 Laws of Power" are books written by Robert Greene and offer valuable insights into human behavior and power dynamics. However, the choice between the two ultimately depends on your personal interests and goals.

Is The Concise Laws of Human Nature a good book?

Whether at work, in relationships, or in shaping the world around you, The Concise Laws of Human Nature offers brilliant tactics for success, self-improvement, and self-defence.