Bookworm: The Chimp Paradox

Professor Steve Peters explores our inner chimp – and the dangers of leaving it unmanaged.

What's the book about? 

Professor Steve Peters argues that inside our brains there’s a battle going on between our (emotional, impetuous and irresponsible) inner chimp and our (calm, rational and composed) inner human. In certain triggering situations, we may lose our cool, enabling the chimp to take control. This, he says, causes us to behave impulsively – often with disastrous consequences. 

Prof Peters then shares his mind-management programme (popular among elite athletes and senior managers) and sets out to show that by keeping our human and chimp selves in balance, we can operate with greater control, focus, confidence, success and happiness. 

Does he know his stuff?

Well, Prof Peters is an acclaimed psychiatrist, teacher and writer who specialises in improving the performance and functionality of people’s brains. He works with many successful businesspeople and has acted as consultant to more than 20 Olympic and national sporting teams. So...

What does he actually mean by ‘inner chimp’?

He uses the ‘chimp’ analogy to distinguish the emotional centre of our brain (aka the limbic system) from the more ‘human’ logic centre (aka the prefrontal cortex).  

Both are necessary. Without our more primitive fight, flight or freeze instincts, we might not survive the daily commute, let alone the more challenging aspects of 21st-century life. But we also need to be mindful that the chimp is stronger and faster than the human – not just because of the inherent dangers, but because it’s possible to harness this power to our wider advantage. 

What are the dangers of an unmanaged inner chimp?

Left unchecked, our inner chimp can cause us to act irrationally and defensively.  

To illustrate this, Peters cites the example of a man complaining to his partner about having to ask a neighbour to move his car as it was blocking him in. But, says the partner, the neighbour did move the offending vehicle, and swiftly. He wasn’t late for work, so why rant on given everything is now fine? 

The human side of the brain can see the logic in that, agree that it’s a fact and quickly move on. But the chimp side might feel that the partner is being unduly critical and instead ask why she never supports him.

Or cause the man to act defensively, stating in no uncertain terms that he is not making a big deal out of it. Cue irrational fight. 

But how do I tame my inner chimp? 

We can begin by determining which section of our brain is directing our behaviour.  

Prof Peters suggests we do this by asking questions beginning “Do I want…?”. For example: “Do I want to behave this way?” Or “do I want to be worried about being late for this meeting?” 

If the answer is “no”, chances are the chimp is in control; to wrestle it back, we need to give it the freedom to vent – not by literally ‘going ape’ in the office, but by finding a safe environment in which to express our anger. This defuses the chimp so we don’t end up in the middle of an explosive mess. 

What else is going on in our brains? 

If our inner chimp/human interactions are happening inside our brains, we also need to consider the other factors at play in that control room – notably what Peters calls the “computer”. This is the part of our brains responsible for automatic functions and actions (eating, brushing our teeth, etc.) that we repeat over and over again without giving them a second thought. 

However, not all automation is useful because our ‘default mode’ may have been set by a loving, supporting family, or one quite the opposite. Negative and destructive patterns may therefore emerge, which Peters calls “goblins”. He advises that we listen out for these goblins and get rid of them by consciously implanting positive patterns in their place until the process becomes automatic. 

What can I take and use from this?  

The chimp is here to stay, so we need to live with it. 

We can use the “do I want…?” question to determine when our chimp is in charge and wrestle back control by venting our anger in a safe space. 

We can try to recognise when our inner chimp wants to slob out in front of the TV when our inner human knows we’d feel better if we went to the gym. 

We can write down some of the ‘healthy’ wants necessary to satisfy our inner chimp, such as a loving relationship. This can act as a balance for more pragmatic goals – such as to gain a promotion or win a medal – that will not on their own lead to happiness. 

What am I most likely to say after reading this book?  

“I’m in control of my inner chimp.” 

What am I least likely to say after reading this book?  

“This whole idea is bananas.”