The Elephant in the Brain

Why People Conceal Their Motives

Humans aren’t much different from their primate relatives. People always compete for a place in the dominance hierarchy. They pursue their self-interests in almost all social interactions. Although candidly admitting your selfish motives isn’t socially acceptable, human behavior is almost never what it seems. And, people constantly judge each other’s actions and motives. Like the so-called elephant in the room that no one talks about, the “elephant in the brain” is human selfishness. People disguise their motives to appear less self-interested than they truly are. They also hide these motives from themselves. The human brain evolved to deceive itself for a strategic reason: The better you hide your motives from yourself, the more successfully you can hide them from everyone else. But, with better awareness and insight, you can confront what really motivates you more honestly.

Competition and Evolution

Humans may have developed big brains because they must cooperate to survive. The less salubrious reason is to navigate “social challenges”: alliances, intergroup...