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Loretta G. Breuning PhDInner Mammal Instituteinnermammalinstitute.orgby Loretta Breuning, PhD Rowman LittlefieldStatus GamesWhy We Play and How to Stop

Sept. 8Rowman LittlefieldSBN-10 : 1538144190ISBN-13 : 978-1538144190

People care about status because animals care about status

human cortexanimal brainWe’ve inherited the limbic brain that motivates this

Your mammal brain rewards you with a drip of serotonin when you raise your status

Serotoninis not aggression.It’s the calm sense that“ I will get the banana ”

Serotonin is soon metabolized, so you have to keep seeking theone-up position to keep feeling it

The good feeling motivates you to repeat behaviors thatraise your status

I’m not saying we should think this way, but we do

Natural selection built a brain that makes social comparisons to promote its own survival

It rewards you with serotonin when you gaina position of strength

It alarms you with cortisol when you see a potential threat to your relative position

You don’t think this in words because the animal brain cannot process language

These facts were revealed by a century of research on mammalian social behavior, but now they are taboo

It’s easy to see the mammalian urge for status in others, especially those you don’t like

It’s easy to see the one-up impulse throughout human history

It’s hard to see it in yourself, your friends, and cute furry creatures

But getting real aboutthese feelings gives youpower over them

Neurons connect when serotonin flows,so whatever raised your status in the past wired you to expect good feelings from that

We all see the world through the lens of our old neural pathways

We all keep striving to stimulate serotonin and avoid cortisol in ways that worked before

We all create one-down feelings and one-up feelings despite our best intentions

We all keep making social comparisons because it’s a core mammalian survival impulse

What’s abig-brained mammalto do?

Status Games shows you healthy ways to give your inner mammal what it needs to feel good

It helps you put yourself up without putting others down

It helps you spark serotonin without junk status

It helps you manage the cortisol of one-down moments

Repetition will build new pathways so it feels normal

You will always be a mammal among mammals

You have power over your brain but notthe brains of others

You can wire yourself to enjoy nature’s serotonin

You’ll be glad you did!

Your questions are invited:Loretta@InnerMammalInstitute.org