The Science of Power - How to Acquire It, What Makes You Lose it with Dr. Dacher Keltner
In this episode we discuss lessons from 25 years of studying the evolution of human emotion, examine whether the Machiavellian concept of power still works, explore the surprising scientific data on how you can acquire power, and look closely at the foundation of enduring power from studies of military units on how to achieve and maintain power with Dr. Dacher Keltner.
Dr. Dacher Keltner is the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley. He is also the author of The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence and Born to Be Good, and a co-editor of The Compassionate Instinct.
Lessons from 25 years of studying the evolution of human emotion
What the hard science says about the powerful impact of gratitude
Why you’re interpretation of “survival of the fittest” is totally wrong
Why emotion is not something to “remove” or rid ourselves of
How emotions guide social behaviors in many very important ways
Does the Machveiallian conception of power still work?
Studies in military organizations, schools, show about how to effectively wield power
The surprising scientific data on how you can acquire and maintain power
We discuss in depth if power is given or if power is seized
What are the foundations of enduring power?
importance of empathy and building strong social ties rather than serving your narrow self interest
The power paradox and why the more powerful you get, the harder it is to stay powerful
The importance of focusing on other people
How do we create organizations and societies that prevent the abuses of power?
We review and share resources for practical steps to implement all of these lessons
The massive impact and power of touch to communicate emotions
The shocking science of how half a second of touch can communicate almost every major emotion
The hilarious gender differences in Dr. Keltner’s emotional touch research
How to cultivate gratitude and awe
The simple power of just saying thank you
The new collaborative definition of power and how its radically different from what you may think of when you think of power
And much more!
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SHOW NOTES, LINKS, & RESEARCH
[Book] The Power of Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence by Dacher Keltner
[Book] The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals by Charles Darwin
[Book] Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny by Robert Wright
[Article] Egalitarian Behavior and Reverse Dominance Hierarchy by Christopher Boehm
[Harvard Business Review] Power Corrupts, But It Doesn’t Have To
[Website] Greater Good Science Center
[Greater Good Site] Science-based Practices for a Meaningful life
[Movie] Inside Out
[Movie] Up
[Book] Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life by Dacher Keltner
[Book] The Compassionate Instinct: The Science of Human Goodness by Dacher Keltner, Jason Marsh, and Jeremy Adam Smith
[Website] Berkeley Social Interaction Laboratory
[Edx MOOC Course] The Science of Happiness by Dacher Keltner and Emiliana Simon-Thomas