I recently started reading Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos and one rule particularly resonated with me: “Stand up straight with your shoulders back”. What does that mean exactly? How can that be the most important rule? It sounds so simplistic!
Peterson provides the example of crustaceans, particularly crabs, and their patterns of behaviour. As with other animals, these creatures fight for territory, access to food and mating opportunities. Occasionally, conflict will arise, and two crabs will engage in battle. Not surprisingly, their razor-sharp pinchers do inflict substantial damage to their opponents when in battle. The victor will establish himself as the dominant creature and struts around his territory confidently, exhibiting himself to females. While the loser of the battle will scuttle away, slumped over, licking his wounds.
Remarkably, the same ancient neural circuitry in crabs also exists in humans. Deep in the reptilian part of your brain there is an unconscious number counter which tells you about your rank in society relative to other people. This is a pyramid of competency; this is called the dominance hierarchy. There is not only one pyramid, but millions ranging from sports to music to academic pursuits and so on. Those at the top of the pyramid, in their given field, are amazingly successful. They have abundant resources, plentiful mating opportunities, beauty, money, status and fame. They have kind and generous friends and people bend over backwards to do them favours. Your brain assigns you a higher number and that provides security, trust and ability to obtain resources.
On the other end of the scale is the bottom of the dominance hierarchy. This is a very dangerous place to reside. Resources are scarce, people are deceptive, and a crisis will tip you over the edge at any given minute. This is where sickness, homelessness and addition loiter. As the old saying goes, “when the aristocrats catch a cold, the poor die of pneumonia”.
When you stand up straight with your shoulders back, you confront the world voluntarily. You accept the world is a dangerous and sometimes hostile place. By approaching the difficulties of life voluntarily you use a different neural system to that of a victim. Opportunities present themselves at your feet. People assume you are trustworthy and competent, and that loops back positively. Now you are not just a competent individual, but you are now a useful member of your tribe and society. Imagine you are an incredibly skilful doctor. As your skillset improves, you have a benefit to hundreds, if not thousands, of patients across your career. Your value to society is immense.
Females use this dominance hierarchy to assess the competency of potential mates. After all, how did women know who was genuine and who was inept? Instead, they outsourced the problem of mate suitability to the metric of the dominance hierarchy. Females compete in more subtle and nuanced ways with each other. The top female would pair off with the top male and so on. (Although generally females mate across and up dominance hierarchies, while males mate across and down). This configuration is how species have organised themselves for millennia, from human beings to crustaceans. Take your place in society.
Stand up straight with your shoulders back.