REVIEW: “King of the Hill. Disruptive nature and the psychology of competition ", By Bronson, Ashley Merriman

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

If "fighting qualities" and "punchy character" are clearly not about you, this is not a reason to give up and give up the competition. The authors of this book provide some tips to help you become a winner even under the toughest conditions.

How do you feel when you have to enter the competition? You are paralyzed by fear, your heart begins to beat like crazy, thoughts run all over the place. Or, on the contrary, you gather your will into a fist and give out the best result you are capable of? Both options are a normal reaction of the human body and psyche to a certain challenge. However, the former is indicative of severe stress, which greatly reduces your chances of success, and the latter is of the ability to cope with anxiety and use all your resources to win.

Even if you are sure that "fighting qualities" and "punchy character" are clearly not about you, this is not a reason to give up and give up the competition. The authors of this book, Poe Bronson and Ashley Merriman, provide some tips to help you win even under the toughest conditions.

Are you able to compete successfully? What does this ability depend on? Can you influence it? The scientific research and case studies from different walks of life that make up the bulk of the story help each reader to find their own answers to these questions.

Genes matter

It is scientifically proven that genes can determine not only the height or color of a person's eyes, but also his ability to respond to the pressure and stress that come with competition. In this case, we are talking about COMT (Catechol-O-methyl transferase) - an enzyme that protects the brain from overload and maintains a balance between a state of high activity and relaxation in a stressful situation. It has two modifications - active and passive. Depending on which of them nature has awarded you, you can classify yourself as the so-called "warriors" or "alarmists". What is the fundamental difference between these groups?

Warriors:

• successfully overcome stress even in the absence of experience;
• able to switch from one task to another;
• are distinguished by a high level of quick adaptability;
• get a positive effect from aggression, that is, it helps them to act as productively as possible.

"Alarmists":

• successfully overcome specific stressors only with experience;
• have good short-term memory;
• have a low level of quick adaptability;
• do not get the desired effect from aggression.

However, the presence of one or another COMT modification is far from the only thing that affects our ability to compete successfully.

Originally from childhood

Yes, the style of rivalry, like many other things, is laid down in childhood. As early as 2-3 years old, when a child can understand the rules of a simple game and apply them in practice, he begins to compete with his peers (and not only). Who among us has not fought in the sandbox for a scapula or tried to take the machine away from our older brother? What about a joking fight with your parents? All this is the first experience of competition. It helps children learn to read and send signals that regulate aggressive play.

Hand-to-hand fights, fights and playful fussing between parents and children are good, not bad, as they instill in children the skills of competitive struggle.

Men and women

Have you noticed that men more often and more willingly enter into confrontation than women? The book contains the results of a number of studies that confirm this fact. In matters of rivalry, the fair sex is more careful and calculating. Most of them enter the competition only when the probability of victory is quite high. This is not the case with men. They can get involved in a fight, even if their chances of success are close to zero. At least I tried.

To win or not to lose

In a competitive situation, you should always ask yourself this question, since it is a matter of principle. What do you really want? To become a winner or just not to lose face? The difference between these options is quite tangible.

If you are achievement-oriented, you are driven by the desire for success; if you are prevention oriented, you are driven by fear of failure.

The second option, of course, is also not bad, but it does not imply any development. You are simply “conserving” the existing system, maintaining stability, and not trying to go beyond it. The first approach to competition is more fruitful. It stimulates the creative activity of the participants in the struggle and helps to give birth to new ideas.

Why the book is useful

The book by Poe Bronson and Ashley Merriman will help you understand how you cope with the competition, how you feel and what difficulties you face. Realizing this, you will be able to determine for yourself the so-called zone of optimal functioning, that is, the state in which your actions are most effective. A huge number of examples and the results of scientific experiments, which are given in the book, will help you with this. It is as if you become a participant in each of them and try to predict your actions in similar situations. At least that's what happened to me.

What experience did you get from reading this book? Share in the comments.