Power is intoxicating & the human behavioral response to it is fucking bonkers. Brains love power. Power=controlled environment=improved survival chances. But the more we have, the more likely we’ll abuse it, and the less likely anyone will tell us “Go home, you’re power drunk”
When given social power (the ability to influence others, control resources, and mete out reward/discipline), studies show that we become more goal oriented & less anxious. Cognition increases, as does self-actualization. We reach peak human.
We also reach peak butthole.
We also reach peak butthole.
Studies have shown that people with social power tend to objectify others based on their productive value, experience a decrease in empathy and an inflated perception of their own reputation, as well as a decreased willingness to accept ideas different from their own.
The flipside of this is also wild. People who feel powerLESS are shown to exhibit declines in their ability to complete tasks, a decrease in self-actualization, and a tendency to dehumanize *themselves*. So there’s an equal & opposite mental drive to be powerful and not powerless
Unfortunately, the bulk of power-based behavioral and sociological studies fixate on unequal dynamics and... like... heterosexual marriage. So there isn’t much data directly examining power exchange between equally high/low power individuals (who aren’t boning each other)
But what is out there shows that when the playing field is equal or mostly equal, the human instinct favoring cooperation, fairness, and imitation/encouragement of altruistic behaviors starts to kick in.
Intoxication with power is a symptom of certain mental health disorders (bipolar disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, etc) but because we see it just as often from people w/ standard brain chemistry, it may not be useful to define it outside of average human behavior.
However, there’s a particular kind of power drunk that has been witnessed across history in monarchs, generals, dictators, presidents, religious authorities, cult leaders, and CEOs. And COOs. And CFOs.
HUBRIS SYNDROME.
HUBRIS SYNDROME.
Hubris Syndrome is an overblown sense of self, the inability to make rational decisions, and poor separation of self from a source of power triggered by the attainment and use of said power.
Pretty much every major world leader in the history of humanity has displayed some traits of of Hubris Syndrome - some more than others (*stares in American*) – which has led to a lot of interesting research into why we get drunk on power in the first place.
We are all, at just about any age, and in any context, susceptible of becoming drunk on power if we don’t make efforts to remain self-aware, engage with people who’ll keep us in check, and employ methods that prevent irrationality.
The reasons why the brain is even vulnerable to power drunkenness are, like pretty much every other ridiculous thing the brain does, adaptive. Certain traits of power drunks, like, for example, impulsivity, are useful in other contexts.
Yes, a lot of our impulses are dumb as fuck, but if you’re in danger (a lion is chasing you), impulsive actions (actions done w/out thinking) may save your life (you jump off a cliff into a body of water). The brain doesn’t have time contemplate a more rational means of survival.
On the flip side, our impulses can completely wreck our shit, which is why our brain takes a lot of time building up its frontal lobe to manage that nonsense. But that does not mean that we can’t override that natural failsafe. We do it all the time. Bad decisions R US.
We see tend to see men and boys fall into power drunkenness more often than women and girls, but there’s a lot at play here. Nurture is definitely involved. Nature, maybe.
Men tend to be given more power to begin with, and therefore more opportunity to get drunk on it. And many of the traits of a power drunk (overconfidence, risky behavior, refusal to listen to criticism) are more likely to be discouraged or disciplined with girls than with boys.
Differences in the structure of male & female brains are negligible. Despite science’s best efforts to prove it, brains aren’t gendered, they’re just diff sizes b/c some ppl are big & some ppl are small. But there are some interesting variations in neurotransmitter concentration
Men tend to make more of the neurotransmitter serotonin, and make it faster, while women make less but have more receptors for it (estrogen, both natural and supplemented, is found to increase the amount of 2A serotonin receptors in the brain)
Serotonin plays an impt role in regulating neurons in the prefrontal cortex, an area in the brain that manages social cognition & mood (among a bazillion other things). Serotonin receptors play an impt role in the brain’s ability to assess risk (among a kazillion other things)
Leadership roles tend to involve high value behaviors, which are reinforced by the brain’s reward centers, but also high stress environments which deplete the fuck out of serotonin.
When experiencing low serotonin levels, women tend to exhibit depression while men tend to exhibit aggression and risky behavior, which scientists associate with the variations in serotonin concentrations. But, as with all brain nonsense, that’s only a quarter of the story.
People who are responsible w/ power and immune to power drunkenness display similar traits: they’re not pretentious. They’re easy going about their accomplishments. They’re open minded about new ideas. They spend time learning about their interests regardless of expertise.
They’re self aware and surround themselves with people who can offer instructive and constructive criticisms. They actively learn from and correct their mistakes. They think critically. And most importantly, they have a sense of humor.
None of these are inherent personality traits. They’re learned, meaning that brain biology is not the end all be all of power drunk assholery. We’re all susceptible, but we all can build in the attributes of the power sober.
Ok this freaking thread was only supposed to be 5 tweets long, I am drunk on the power of twitter’s auto thread tool
SOURCES, some are not free, but they are “available” in “places” on the “internet”.
Here’s one cool, mostly easy read about hubris syndrome and symptoms in US/UK world leaders
academic.oup.com/brain/article/…
Here’s one cool, mostly easy read about hubris syndrome and symptoms in US/UK world leaders
academic.oup.com/brain/article/…
Everything else is dense af
Powerfulness and Powerlessness
journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…
researchgate.net/publication/52…
researchgate.net/publication/22…
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18466404/
Powerfulness and Powerlessness
journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…
researchgate.net/publication/52…
researchgate.net/publication/22…
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18466404/
"Because the powerful… falsely attribute their actions to their own volition, one secret to influencing powerful individuals is to avoid the overt appearance of persuasion” lol
psycnet.apa.org/record/2008-16…
psycnet.apa.org/record/2008-16…
