Notes on "Stand up Straight with Your Shoulders Back" by Jordan B. Peterson

by Igor Yalovoy

"Stand up Straight with Your Shoulders Back" is the first rule in the book "12 Rules for Life" by Jordan B. Peterson.
These are personal notes for reflection and discussion purposes.

  • Dominance hierarchy is 350 million years old. Older than trees.
  • Pretty much all living things have a dominance hierarchy.
  • Your position in dominance hierarchy defines your access to resources such as territory, ownership and mating opportunities. In other words, alpha male on top of the dominance hierarchy gets all the girls.
  • Matthew effect means the distribution of resources at dominance hierarchy is not proportional. Top 1 percent have as much as bottom 50 percents.
  • Your position in dominance hierarchy affects your brain chemistry.
  • Hormones such as serotonin and behavior such as posture and fight/flight reaction depends on your dominancy hierarchy position.
  • Positive and negative feedback loops exist within our brain, either constantly improving us or destroying.
  • Alcohol addiction is a classic example of a negative feedback loop. More you drink more you want to drink and more addicted you are.
  • Raising in dominance hierarchy is an example of a positive feedback loop. Success breeds success.
  • Capacity of aggression is often enough to prevent aggression, then lack of capacity often results in bullying and violence.
  • Low dominance hierarchy status can stick to a person on a deep psychological level and follow him around life reproducing the same scenario over and over again.
  • You have to connect and embrace a dark version of yourself to a certain degree in order to properly position and prosper in a dominance hierarchy.