Explain Nation

A psychoanalyst named Roger Money-Kyrle attended a political meeting in which both Adolf Hitler and his chief propagandist Joseph Goebbels gave a speech. He observed that the speakers first made the audience feel depressed and humiliated. He wrote, “The monster seemed to indulge in an orgy of self-pity.”  Then Hitler vented on the scapegoat: the Jews. “Self-pity gave place to hate, and the monster seemed on the point of becoming homicidal.” Finally, they turned to self-praise, a call for unity, and a promise of paradise but “only for true Germans and true Nazis.” Hitler’s rise to power was actually bolstered by the German people’s desire to bring back the national pride they lost after the defeat in World War 1. So, Hitler promised a new world order in which the Germans would be superior to all. This was also pointed out by Jean Lipman-Blumen, a professor of public policy and an expert in leadership, in her book The Allure of Toxic Leaders . She said there are always people who thi...

I have a friend who was jolly when he was obese. After a very successful workout, he looked like a model from Vogue but he had the temper of a chef from Hell’s Kitchen. My staff in the office came up with the trick to give me sugary food before they presented their concepts. They told me that the tactic always raised the probability of me approving their work. Here are reasons why it’s not just a joke, not just a myth, that people who eat less can be in a bad mood. 1. Cortisol rising. This is the brain hormone that prepares the body for battle. When cortisol rises, more blood is pumped into body parts we need for fighting or running away. The heart beats faster and breathing becomes more rapid. Cortisol is triggered whenever the body senses danger.  If we don’t eat enough, the brain may interpret it as a threat to our survival. So, the rise in cortisol may make us easily triggered by anyone or anything annoying. 2. Sugar changes everything. Sweet food makes us happy because in the...