The Winner Effect cover art

The Winner Effect

How Power Affects Your Brain

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The Winner Effect

By: Ian Robertson
Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly
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About this listen

What makes a winner? Why do some people succeed both in life and in business, and others fail? Why do a few individuals end up supremely powerful, while many remain powerless?

The “winner effect” is a term used in biology to describe how an animal that has won a few fights against weak opponents is much more likely to win later bouts against stronger contenders. As Ian Robertson reveals, it applies to humans, too. Success changes the chemistry of the brain, making you more focused, smarter, more confident, and more aggressive. The effect is as strong as any drug. And the more you win, the more you will go on to win. But the downside is that winning can become physically addictive.

By understanding what the mental and physical changes are that take place in the brain of a “winner”, how they happen, and why they affect some people more than others, Robertson answers the question of why some people attain and then handle success better than others. He explains what makes a winner - or a loser - and how we can use the answers to these questions to understand better the behavior of our business colleagues, family, friends, and ourselves.

©2012 Ian Robertson (P)2013 Audible, Inc. Biological Sciences Career Success Neuroscience & Neuropsychology Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science Success Human Brain Career Business Mental Health

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All stars
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Had a few interesting points but overall I was just a little bored, and my mind kept wandering

Was pretty bored throughout.

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Fascinating read for everyone but especially relevant for people working in hierarchical organisations. Robertson eloquently describes, using a mixture of anecdotes and the latest scientific research, how power fundamentally alters brain chemistry with astounding effects. Holding a position of power can reduce empathy and the ability to listen to feedback and cognitive dissonance can increase these effects. He concludes with the idea that we should consider a leader's need for power and type of power they build carefully and that leaders should be aware of the effects of power on their brains snd cognitive functioning. Increasing the number of women in powerful positions, who are more likely to be motivated towards having a positive impact on others than building egocentric power, may help add balance to organisations and leadership teams.

Fantastic book, power changes brain chemistry...

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Very interesting points and great performance, perhaps diverged from certain points too much at times but all still relative.

Great book

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Well narrated. Content is intresting enough to finish the book, but mostly states the obvious.

Nothing you didn't already know

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There were a few interesting nuggets but the whole thing was largely unpersuasive.

I wasn’t convinced by many of the studies and anecdotes provided. There were too many assumptions and the conclusions drawn were premature, in my opinion.

The author also has lots of typical groupthink beliefs about the nature of power, democracy, and government. This made it difficult to take him seriously.

At least he recognizes that power makes humans go crazy and do terrible things but this doesn’t go far enough. It is not a matter of figuring out how to make humans handle power more responsibly - instead, we should finally admit that power itself IS the problem.

Human beings CANNOT handle power. And therefore any society that imposes a system of political authority is just asking for sociopaths to take over and wreak havoc on the rest of us.

Unpersuasive

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