The other day I had a physical for the first time in years. My new doctor is a kindly but no-nonsense type. She told me I’ve shrunk by half an inch. Then she gave me the usual diet and exercise advice: “Do more cardiovascular exercise. Two or three times a week. Start while you still can.” She took my blood pressure (on the high side), and drew a little line between my height and my weight on that hateful BMI chart. “You could lose five pounds. Cut down on salt. And no junk food!”
I left her office brimming with new resolve. Yes! I want to be fit and slim and limber when I’m 70! I’ll start right away! Just to prove it, I took the subway to work.
Later, I went shopping at the supermarket. I picked up many leafy greens, and topped them off with a box of President’s Choice key lime pie, just in case of unexpected company. It’s especially delicious when eaten frozen. I took it home and cut off a tiny piece and let it melt in my mouth. Then another.
The elephant had won again.
I learned about the elephant in a wonderful book called The Happiness Hypothesis, by psychologist Jonathan Haidt. This book explains why the key lime pie is so irresistible. It turns out you only think you’re in charge. In fact, you’re like someone riding an elephant. The rider thinks he’s in control until the moment he decides to go one way and the elephant decides to go another. The elephant is much bigger than you are and, when he really wants to do something, you’re no match for it.
The rider is the conscious, reasoning (and far newer) part of the brain. The elephant is the emotional, automatic part that’s wired for pleasure, fear, guilt, lust, key lime pie and all that other primal stuff. It reacts much faster than the rider to threats or opportunities. It craves those little bursts of dopamine that make you feel so good when you take that first bite of pie. These parts of the brain developed through natural selection to guarantee our survival. That’s why the elephant is so shrewd and powerful. You can’t fight the elephant, and you can’t do without it. You can only cajole it and train it and work with it to go your way.
Back in the 20th century, economists and social scientists developed a much different theory to explain why people do what they do. They called it “rational choice.” According to this model, people are rational agents who set goals and pursue them by using the information and means at their disposal. The analogy is modern, technocratic and mechanical. You’re like the driver of a car, and you can make it go whichever way you want.
But new developments in brain science – to say nothing of the overwhelming evidence of daily life – show that the ancients were much nearer to the truth. They often likened the divided self to a person trying to harness a wild animal. Buddha compared the mind to a wild elephant that can only be quieted through a great deal of practice and meditation. Benjamin Franklin said, “If Passion drives, let Reason hold the reins.”
