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Andrew Belaveshkin MD PhD preventive medicine belaveshkin.com 📖Books: The will to live, The right food at the right time (⬜️🟥⬜️ t.me/belaveshkin)
Violence and drugs - how stimulants provoke terror and wars. Drugs are often used to dehumanize people, induce a manic state for mass killings. Short-term use causes obsession and weakens fear, conscience, and empathy; medium-term use creates dependence on the supplier; long-term use leads to "addictive personality deformation." If an adult's character suddenly changes, it is a red flag—this is very often a sign of drug addiction.
For example, cocaine alters personality irreversibly much faster than other drugs: it causes depression, emotional blunting, loss of ability to recognize details, constant mood swings, a false sense of grandeur, overconfidence, and arrogance. Addicts develop an "ability" to lie convincingly (emotional dullness makes lies more persuasive), lose self-criticism, frequently experience paranoid delusions even when not using, and moral and ethical norms deteriorate.
Here are examples where drugs became part of politics and violence (even though these movements officially banned them. For example, Nazis and Islamists formally oppose drug use but actively utilize them in practice).
🟥1. The medieval islamic sect of the Assassins used hashish to put their members into a euphoric state before missions. According to legend, they were shown paradise-like gardens under the drug’s influence, promising a return after successful assassinations. The very word "assassin" originates from "hashashin" (hashish users).
🟥2. The jacobin terror. Revolutionaries actively used cheap opium and laudanum (opium tincture in alcohol) before battles and mass executions by guillotine.
🟥3. The bolsheviks during the Red Terror. Morphine and cocaine were widely used by revolutionary bolsheviks during killings and looting and by chekists for interrogations and tortures before executions. Drug addiction spread across all social layers. The infamous "Baltic Tea" was a mix of cocaine dissolved in vodka. Drugs commonly used in Soviet Russia at the time included hashish, opium, cocaine, morphine, and heroin. Drug use became a part of everyday life.
🟥4. The Nazi regime. Hitler’s personal physician Theodor Morell prescribed him Pervitin (methamphetamine) in 1936 to combat depression and enhance work capacity. Soon, not only the entire Reich leadership (Himmler, Göring) but also pilots and tank crews were using it. During the Blitz from April to June 1940, about 3 million German soldiers, sailors, and pilots took Pervitin. Later he added cocaine to his daily methamphetamine intake, and in 1944, he also started using oxycodone.
🟥5. During the Great Terror of 1938, cocaine had lost popularity, and executioners carried out tortures and killings under the influence of alcohol. Notably, "the front 100 grams" (a ration of vodka) was given to almost every Soviet soldier during World War II. A drunk soldier's risk of dying increased by 50–60% compared to a sober one (due to slowed reactions, poor risk assessment, etc.).
🟥6. Cartel mercenaries often consumed cocaine before murders to increase aggression and eliminate fear. Armed groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) used cocaine not only to finance their revolution but also to boost combat morale. Fighters took drugs before attacks to suppress fear and enhance aggression.
🟥7. It is difficult to estimate cocaine consumption in Russia, but one incident involved a 400 kg batch discovered being transported through diplomatic mail. Estimates suggest at least 15–20% of Russian soldiers are using drugs during the current war (mostly cheap alpha-PVP, and to a lesser extent, amphetamine and mephedrone).
🟥8. Islamic terrorist groups. ISIS and Hamas actively use the amphetamine-like drug Captagon. It helps terrorists stay aggressive, alert, and fearless during attacks and executions. Captagon was produced on an industrial scale in Syria by the Assad regime and distributed across the region.
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Barbarians rule through terror. Therefore, wherever they come to power, sacred objects are often items of violence, murder and humiliation. These items are displayed at rallies, parades, and in museums; they are kissed and revered.
Read the message clear: look at this chainsaw – it is a symbol of mass murder.
Here is what we can remember, both recent and distant:
🟥Skulls, scalps, severed heads. Genghis Khan's troops, after conquests, often built pyramids from the skulls of slain city inhabitants (for example, in Nishapur or Baghdad) as a symbol of terror and intimidation. Skull towers of the Aztecs.
🟥The "Wagner" sledgehammer – used as an execution tool and a propagandist symbol, embodying cruelty and strength. It is kept as a sacred object of veneration. Other less revered objects of violence and torture in the Mopstan – a mop, a bottle.
🟥Agricultural hoes in Cambodia – used for intimidation and execution, for burying alive or bludgeoning to death to save bullets.
🟥Nuclear missiles. The reverence for nuclear weapons over time became a cult of destruction, referring to their ability not only to annihilate but also to intimidate, introducing the idea into people's consciousness that the world can be controlled through the threat of total catastrophe.
🟥The French guillotine – During the era of revolutionary terror, the guillotine became a cult symbol of "just" destruction of enemies of the Republic, appearing in cartoons, medals, and propaganda.
He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed. (Einstein)
Goosebumps as transformative therapy. In everyday life, we often lose sight of one of the most essential unique human emotions – awe. It is a simultaneous combination of reverent awe, fear, and delight, it is a positive and instrumental emotion for physical and psychological health. Awe has been perceived as the highest sacred emotion since ancient times, associated with recognizing forces immeasurably more significant than yourself (sacred awe or fear of God).
✅Awe is manifested physically: we feel small in front of something huge, we may get goosebumps, our thinking and planning horizon change, and we seem to rise above the mundane. Awe is easy to feel – you want to say wow!, goosebumps, a sense of unity with the world, you feel small, experience a chill or goosebumps – sacred awe. Unlike addictive sources of dopamine, awe keeps us in reality and allows us to see it from a different perspective. Not only believers, scientists, or thinkers can experience this, but we can.
✅Awe is very beneficial for health: more dopamine, less cortisol, reduced stress and inflammation, improved mood and well-being, feeling closer to others, behaving kinder, more socially, and thinking more clearly and creatively. Awe helps us change, it is a transformative experience that contributes to rethinking our experience.
✅Its components are threat (fear, danger), beauty (nature, people, art, moral beauty of action), participation in the high (when we can touch the miraculous, the sacred), valor (when we see someone adhering to their values, performing a feat), rarity (something extremely rare and wonderful).
↗️When we experience awe:
- unity with nature, dance, music
- when we look from above or widely (overview effect, view from above for a while, on earth, view from a mountain, starry sky, overview of terrain, events, and time "from above"),
- in moments of danger and risk (threat to life),
- it is a striving for great joy and participation in the high when we are delighted by the beauty and uniqueness of the surrounding world,
- when we are near something "sacred" (presence with something sacred and unique, a person, object, building),
- collective excitement (many people do something together from parade to dance or square),
- when we realize the greatness of something physically or psychologically (perceived vastness, mountain, colossal tree, building, person, etc.), spiritual experience, psychedelic experience.
✅When talking to children, I try to teach them this in everyday life. Imagine, iron in red blood cells was born in the explosions of distant stars! And now we walk on the seashell beach – these stones millions of years ago were at the bottom of the ocean. So when you look at the starry sky, I want you not to feel insignificant, but remember – that you are the universe itself come alive, the result of 15 billion years of evolution, eagerly looking back at itself.
It would be good to experience awe at least 3-4 times a week and, even better – at least once a day. Share what causes awe and reverence in you.
Read more:
📖📖📖Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life
Keltner, D. J., & Haidt, J. (2003). Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion. Cognition and Emotion, 17(2), 297–314
The psychological model and cognitive neural mechanism of awe Advances in Psychological Science 2021, Vol. 29 Issue (3)
Awe as a Pathway to Mental and Physical Health Perspect Psychol Sci 2022 Aug 22;17456916221094856.
Silvia, P. J., Fayn, K., Nusbaum, E. C., & Beaty, R. E. (2015). Openness to experience and awe in response to nature and music: Personality and profound aesthetic experiences. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 9(4), 376–384.
Everything will be fine or an underrated propaganda tool. It harms us and is actively used by propaganda from regimes to suppress civic activity. This bias is Belief in a Favorable Future (BFF). In this cognitive distortion, people believe everything will work out well in the future, even without their involvement.
This can lead to complacency – a person feels they are already on the path to success, even though no action has been taken – and result in suppressing activity. BFF is a drug that can steal your future.
🚩The same mechanism can suppress our own activity when we become overly self-assured or be used in propaganda – when problems are claimed to resolve themselves or agents are sent to protestors, convincing them that they've already won and need to do nothing more.
🤔We can recall the "temporary difficulties that will resolve themselves" in the USSR in the 1980s, as well as the Great Depression of 1929 when it was said "no action is needed, the market will fix itself," Ben Bernanke, who, a year before the financial collapse, assured that the housing market crisis would not lead to serious consequences, Chamberlain signing the Munich Agreement with Hitler and calling for an end to defense actions against Germany, etc.
🚩Sun Tzu also pointed out this tactic of pretending to be weak and defeated to lull the enemy’s vigilance: "Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak". One can also look at how this is used by populists or/and in propaganda by pro-Kremlin pseudo-oppositional opinion leaders: Shulman, who for years has been pacifying with lectures about the positive transformation of the Russian regime and society, Arestovich with his "2-3 weeks" prediction, Katz, who hijacked the information narrative of the Belarusian protests ("just walk and walk and you will win"), and Charter97 with its imminent victory. The main idea – "You don’t have to do anything, you’ve already won."
Here are a few mechanisms:
▶️1. Positive fantasies decrease motivation. People who dreamed of a better future (e.g., weight loss or career success) achieved fewer results than those who combined dreams with a realistic assessment of obstacles.
▶️2. People with a strong belief in a favorable future take fewer concrete steps toward their goals. In one study, participants were asked about their political views and how they see the future of society. Those who believed that their ideals would prevail in the future were less likely to vote or engage in activism. BFF creates a false sense of inevitable success, leading people to procrastinate.
▶️3. Underestimating risks. People who believe in a positive outcome without considering risks are more likely to procrastinate in preparing for exams, medical checkups, and other important tasks. The stronger the belief, the higher the procrastination. Optimism without realism creates the illusion that everything will work out on its own.
▶️4. Belief in a favorable future reduces willingness to change. Excessive confidence in a good future reduces readiness to change behavior, especially when changes require discomfort (e.g., giving up bad habits).
▶️5. People with BFF procrastinate on challenging tasks, hoping that problems will resolve themselves. In one experiment, participants were presented with a difficult task that required effort. Those who believed the future would be good regardless of their actions were less likely to take on the work.
What to do?
✅The danger of this belief is that it blinds us and leads to inaction: we stop working toward achieving what we so firmly believe in, stop talking about it, and reduce the likelihood of that very future we so recklessly trust. This works in science, politics, and everyday life. For instance, we may believe that other people will inevitably understand the importance of healthy eating, sleep, medical checkups, etc., because it is so obvious to us! Sadly, they won’t.
The beginning of any sin is arrogance. An increase in dopamine leads to feeling superior to others, causing one to overlook their flaws, which appear as virtues. Many things operate this way, from alcohol to ideologies. They "tempt" people literally and, like any "freebies," destroy them. If you see a personality deformation, examining what led to it is always interesting.
After all, many diseases, from osteoporosis to cancer, have a long period of hidden development, and the suddenness of their manifestation only seems so. For example, the "sudden" success of Nazi propaganda isn't sudden. Since the beginning of the 19th century, the German cultural elite developed and deepened the idea of a "special path," "the decline of Europe," anti-Semitism, and Nordic blood—all the components of Nazi ideology matured before Hitler's arrival. They were developed by politicians, philosophers, and musicians (like Wagner), slowly and with increasing malignancy, like a tumor that has malignantly progressed over the years.
A vivid example of such a work is Ayn Rand (Alisa Rosenbaum). Well, the idea of a novel disguised as an ideology is not new (ideologies aim to create a "new person"). It's worth noting the precursor to her novels ia Chernyshevsky's novel "What Is to Be Done?" (critics called it the "Koran of nihilism"). Masquerading as popular ideas of equality, the novel promotes "rational egoism," with characters advocating self-interest as the basis of their worldview, shedding any moral responsibility, mocking any displays of morality and ethics, the characters "love only themselves.” At the same time, evil is shifted from the individual to "circumstances", and immorality are the strong side of calculating the "new person." This novel became the youth's program, their guide, inspiring Lenin: "The novel 'What Is to Be Done?' plowed me to the core. It's a thing that charges you up for a lifetime," giving birth to the terrorist underground of the "new people," who allowed themselves to kill cold-bloodedly and glorify terror. As critics rightly note, "Truly, the core of Chernyshevsky's and Rand's teachings is not socialism or capitalism, but the tyrannical will to control humanity and its destiny."
Chernyshevsky, in turn, was inspired by the works of the british cynic and nihilist Bernard de Mandeville, who believed that human virtue is detrimental to the commercial and intellectual progress of the state, that vices are beneficial to society and that criminals are glorious people," and that evil is the primary driver of development. "What we call evil in this world, both moral and physical, is that great principle that makes us social beings—it's a solid foundation, a vital force, and support for all professions and occupations without exception; here we must seek the true source of all arts and sciences; and the very moment evil ceases to exist, society would decay, if not completely collapse." Bernard's works and attitude towards violence also inspired Marx, who borrowed many of his ideas.
Having absorbed Soviet ideology, Ayn Rand continues to spread it, just turning it inside out: instead of the cult of the collective—cult of personality, instead of the power of the proletariat—the power of capital, underground work, and hiding from police—Galt instead of Lenin. The essence remains the same: cult of power, the polarization of society into worthy and unworthy, totalitarianism and only one correct doctrine without shades of gray, and aversion to democracy and morality. The ethics of her novels resemble totalitarianism: if, for the Nazis, the benefit for the nation (the benefit for the proletariat) justifies anything, for Rand, the benefit for the individual justifies any actions, including crimes, her division of humans into an extraordinary minority and the ordinary mass. Her books employ classic seduction of the reader—by inflating their pride, encouraging conflict with society, showing the insignificance of other people, the cult of the "superhuman," and camouflaging all this with ordinary ideas of common sense.
"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction." Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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The most dangerous poison for the mind is resentment. Resentment is the sublimation of one's helplessness, which turns into an ideology directed "against" something. Understanding the concept of resentment will help us grasp any movements that demand "justice" through violence. Let's start with the locus of control: for various reasons, some people engage in their business and change the world, while others, for some reason, cannot. The reasons for this can differ: social, genetic, or even coincidental.
A healthy reaction is to accept one's obstacles and problems and try to correct and overcome them, learn from those who have already done so, try and seek creative approaches, act constructively with others, be proactive and persistent. This way, you can change the world and change yourself. An unhealthy reaction is if you are unable (or unwilling or lazy) to change the world. You feel helpless and have a sense of inadequacy, impotence, and an inability to act positively. This leads to the feeling of projecting onto the external world first as "offense" and then as anger. It's pure negativity, simply a reaction to events in the external world with a minus sign.
🟥Offense can become resentment when cultivated for a long time and becomes the basis of worldview and culture. Resentment is not just resentment, revenge, or bitterness. If these feelings have an outlet, they fade away, but if cultivated for a long time, they form the basis of an entire worldview, the essence of which is to turn upside down and ridicule the values that anger is directed toward. This leads to a falsification of the worldview. As an anti-value, resentment is repelled by the values of the "enemy," turning them into opposites. This is the so-called "inversion of values" or "transvaluation."
🟥The experience of one's lack of education turns into hatred of the educated ("Are you the smartest one here?"), instead of getting an education and praising one's ignorance ("We are simple people and the best, not corrupted by education"). The experience of committing crimes does not lead to repentance but to the development of a criminal culture where crimes are glorified. The main thing is to spite the enemy – if the "enemy" fights domestic violence, we will decriminalize domestic violence and make it a "spiritual heritage" and so on. A system of "anti-values" is formed, simply the antithesis of the values of the "enemy”.
🟥Resentment is a constant state of "offense," seeking what to "take offense at" and attack it. Essentially, an image of the enemy arises, and only then is its image formed as the antipode. Take away from such a person what they resent, and a space will remain. That is, my value and meaning lie only in attacking something created by someone else. Such a person blames others for their problems and justifies their constant vindictive attacks and accusations against those supposedly "guilty" of their own issues. An enemy image is created to rid oneself of guilt for one's helplessness, and one's problems are projected onto them.
🟥Derealization. Experiencing one's helplessness is unpleasant, so resentment involves a lot of dissociative escapes from reality and fantasies, as well as constant savoring of one's "revenge" on the imagined perpetrator of one's woes. Thus, resentment transforms into an illusion of one's infallibility and invincibility. At the same time, there is a loss of connection with reality, and the boundary between truth and falsehood blurs. When the world is not susceptible to influence, the person of resentment destroys it in their mind, completely denying its existence. The primary demand of resentment is justice. In its distorted value system, "justice" is the right to cruelty and violence, causing harm to that which reminds one of one's inadequacy. The "happiness" of resentment is revenge and violence, compensating for one's helplessness through the suffering inflicted on others and deriving pleasure from it.
What to do?
Parallel reading and discussion with friends on the phenomena of Protestantism and neurobiology prompt reflection. We now know that it was precisely the religious characteristics of Protestantism that led to the paradoxical demystification of religion, the formation of a scientific worldview, the search for rational asceticism, the dogma of reason, democratic changes, the necessity of personal spiritual growth, to the development of innovations and entrepreneurship, to capitalism. Even the New Year's resolutions you make are a Protestant idea, where you vow to God to maximize your potential. And not using your time, your potential – that's a grave sin.
What cultural memes and neurobiological mechanisms do they have that change thinking, and how can we use it today? Here are four ideas.
1. Dopaminergic biohacking.
Evolutionarily, we are inclined to be drawn, driven by dopamine, to basic things that were good for replication in ancient times: food, sex, and status. But religions make a global reassessment of values – living is worth it, based on other higher-order values (whether Stoic or Christian ones). You are victorious and good not because you've eaten well or had sex but because you adhere to these values. Neuroplasticity allows our dopamine centers to quickly relearn – and desire higher-order values, changing our behavior and making it much more human. Processing more abstract concepts occurs in higher neuron columns dorsal areas of prefrontal cortex (which are responsible for reflection and self-control), strengthening and developing them.
2. Timeline perspective.
Under stress and uncertainty, we tend to perceive time cyclically: from bottle to bottle, from Friday to Friday, from paycheck to paycheck, from vacation to vacation. But such cyclicality makes us trapped and focused on short-term pleasures. Religion, however, enhances the linear perception of time, characteristic of the left hemisphere – time flows from past to future, from the beginning of the world to judgment day. Religion teaches us to think about judgment day – this helps avoid temporal discounting and expands the planning horizon. This strengthens and enhances the functions of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is also associated with the highest mental functions.
3. Taming uncertainty.
Our brain really dislikes uncertainty and, when faced with it, deals with it in various ways – by resorting to magical or conspiratorial thinking (explaining everything with the actions of some forces), feeling of helplessness, development of egoism and narcissism (I know everything, and I'll explain it now). Religion solves uncertainty like this: the computational abilities of our brain are not enough to understand the complexity of the world, it develops according to its own laws, which are helpful in understanding – because by studying the creation of the Lord, you glorify his work. And there's nothing to worry about – you have no free will, God's plan has long been thought out, and you can't change anything. Bargaining with God or asking him is simply pointless. Stoics replace God with Logos or merely the laws of Nature – which need to be studied and followed. You focus on finding patterns, not on random rewards.
4. Personal responsibility.
Protestantism rejects all low-level abstractions like relics, icons, monks, etc. All of these are barriers between a person's personal contact and God. Only personally is a person accountable to him; there are no excuses and intermediaries. Personal connection with the Lord should be all-encompassing – Protestantism transfers ascetic ideas into everyday life, demystifies them from magical overlays, and pays special attention to rationality and sobriety of mind. Only a sober mind and attention will help you understand the plan and maximize every second of your time, every business opportunity, and every sprout of your potential that God has allocated to humans.
Outdoors lifestyle or rule of 1000 hours per year.
✅1. Light and sunlight deficiency.
In the brightest room, there's only 300 lux, while on a cloudy day outside, there are already 1000 lux, and on a sunny day, up to 10,000 lux. Sufficient light and ultraviolet exposure are crucial for physical and mental health.
✅2. Sedentary lifestyle.
Indoors, we naturally move less and sit more. Work standing up, set up a stationary bike, install a pull-up bar, plan for exercise breaks, and "snack" on exercises.
✅3. Social Isolation.
Indoors, we interact less with different people, and now even families are separating into different rooms and even stop eating together. Yet, evolutionarily, our social brain needs to be among people. Practice more family activities, and invite and visit friends. Hang up photos, order portraits of ancestors - let there be more faces around you of those who love and motivate you.
✅4. Gaseous stool.
We release carbon dioxide and a mix of other by-products with every exhale. In poorly ventilated spaces, excess carbon dioxide can cause many unpleasant effects, from headaches and cognitive decline to sleep disturbances. What to do - ventilate and install ventilation systems, especially in the bedroom and office.
✅5. Temperature comfort.
Thermal pollution suppresses the activity of brown fat, which is harmful to metabolism. Avoid excess heat, sleep and exercise in cooler environments. Air baths also harden, and sleeping in coolness significantly activates fat burning.
✅6. Dirty air.
Often, indoor air is dirtier than outdoors: dust, microplastics, and emissions from furniture. Clean the room thoroughly and with a mask, reduce the number of dust-collecting items, check the room for mold, and remove furniture or items with old plastic. Prefer natural materials.
✅7. Visually aggressive surfaces.
Two types of surfaces - absolutely smooth or with a repeating identical pattern (like a grid) - negatively affect the brain when viewed; the eyes are forced to make many movements, which is uncomfortable. Use elements of design, and fractal design to create comfortable patterns: trees, clouds, stone patterns, waves, flames, etc. Place more indoor plants! Walk in nature more often! Look at the clouds!
✅8. Static environment:
Our brain is accustomed to everything around us being in motion. When we stay in one place for a long time, this immobility of surrounding elements leads to us focusing more on internal sensations. This can lead to rumination and self-aggravation. Whenever stressed - go outside. When you walk, everything around you moves (optical flow), increasing both cognitive flexibility and helping to switch from unpleasant experiences.
✅9. Impoverished environment.
We get used to the same thing in the same room where we spend so much time; such a lack of stimuli leads to an impoverished environment. An enriched environment is one where you have many different stimuli. Regularly change plants, scents, pictures, room elements to create diversity.
✅10. Even surfaces.
Constant walking on perfectly even surfaces detrains the balance systems. Buy or make balance boards from a regular water bottle, brush your teeth while standing on one leg - add more instability to your life.
What do power, addiction, and traumatic brain injury have in common? Since ancient times, people have noticed that abuse of power leads to severe mental disturbances. The ancient Greeks called it "hubris" - arrogance, which angered the gods, thus leading to the loss of luck and divine retribution. Roman physicians described the "Caesar's psychosis" that sometimes developed in Roman emperors. Pride is also included in the list of major deadly sins and is the chief among them: "The beginning of sin - pride" (Sirach 10:15).
Today, neurobiologists and psychologists use the term "hubris syndrome" to describe typical personality deformations that arise from prolonged holding of power. In general, it looks like this: narcissism, excessive attention to one's own image, self-aggrandizement, identification of oneself with the state or company and one's own interests with those of society, a sense of one's divine omnipotence and immunity to judgment, unwillingness to listen to advice. All this leads to a loss of sense of reality and incompetence. It is not surprising that megalomania is one of the most common, alongside paranoid delusions in mental disorders.
What about brain changes? Brain studies show that it ceases to "mirror" and understand other people, thus being guided by stereotypes and personal beliefs rather than evaluating the actual situation. Dacher Keltner compares hubris syndrome with the consequences of brain injury: increased propensity for risk, impulsivity, and loss of ability to understand the opinions of others.
Power leads to severe changes in perception, to real illusions: it seems that you are listened to more attentively, treated more benevolently, and applauded louder than in reality. Even you seem taller to yourself. Perception of risk changes, leading to more risky behavior and loss of ability to assess the long-term consequences of one's actions. Interestingly, power leads to people punishing fraud much more severely, but at the same time, they are ready to break the law much more often than ordinary people.
Power as addiction. Any drug is more dangerous when it acts faster. A sudden increase in social status instantly raises dopamine levels and receptor sensitivity to the point of manic states. The faster this increases, the more intoxicating it affects behavior: excitement, complete confidence in one's own rightness, underestimation of risk, and a sense of being chosen. As Belarusians say, "не дай бог сьвінні рог, а мужыку паньства".
Criteria for addiction (both power and drug): tolerance - needing more power to achieve the same effect (increasing the dose), withdrawal - negative feelings when authority is ceased, abuse - using more than initially intended, loss of control (significant behavior change caused by power), extraordinary efforts to obtain - going beyond reasonable limits to gain power, excessive prioritization - using power to the detriment of others (you can destroy the country to save your status). On the other hand, many people consume alcohol and other drugs to alleviate the discomfort of their humiliated slave status.
The paradox of power: as soon as we gain power, we lose some of the abilities we need to achieve it. Empaths become insensitive and contemptuous, professionals become incompetent, and honest people become thieves. As it has long been noted, "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely." The more power is absolutized and the longer the term, the more serious the distortions in perception and behavior.
What to do then? Even in ancient times, they knew the simple answer - limiting the term to 1 year. Even modern terms of 4-5 years look like blatant usurpation of power. Thus, re-entry into the Council was allowed only once in Athens, with a mandatory one-year break. Consuls in Ancient Rome were elected for one year. In Italian republics, they ruled for a year, and in collegia, they were elected for 3 and 6 months. In modern Switzerland, the president is also elected for one year (!).
In the 1950s, under the influence of left-wing activists, the process of dismantling the psychiatric care system began in the United States. This was accompanied by a shift in the narrative—as people with mental disorders supposedly "did not need any help" and were thrown out onto the streets for the "sake of cost-cutting".
In 1955, there were about 560,000 patients in psychiatric hospitals in the U.S.; by the 1990s, fewer than 100,000 remained, with most ending up homeless or in prisons. By the 2020s, the number had dropped to 35,000–40,000, a reduction of more than 90% compared to the mid-20th century.
This led to severe consequences and high prices for society: around 25% of the homeless in the U.S. suffer from severe mental illnesses, including schizophrenia. By the 1970s, the homicide rate had doubled compared to the 1950s. Many former patients, deprived of treatment, became homeless and fell into criminal environments. On average, people with severe mental disorders commit violent crimes 2–3 times more often than mentally healthy individuals. However, most mentally ill people are NOT dangerous, but without treatment, the risk of aggression increases, especially when combined with substance abuse.
Instead of receiving care and treatment, these people end up in prison—approximately 15–20% of inmates have severe mental disorders, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Today, there are more mentally ill people in U.S. prisons (200,000+) than in specialized psychiatric facilities.P.S. America is rightfully in/famous for its incarceration rate, the highest in the world as of 2008. (European Union countries, by contrast, have higher mental hospital rates: a high of 188.5 in the Netherlands in 2000, compared to an EU average of 90.1, well above the U.S. rate.)
How better access to mental health care can reduce crime POLICY BRIEF | JULY, 2021
Three duck rules for mental health.
1. Duck and gaslighting. The duck test (reality check).
This rule sounds like this: "if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it is probably a duck." This rule helps establish a fact based on our direct observations and indirect evidence. Sometimes the rule sounds like "maybe he talks like an idiot (abuser, fascist, manipulator, etc.) and looks like an idiot, behaves like an idiot. But you shouldn't be fooled: he really is an idiot." The duck test helps us trust ourselves and be capable of independent judgment despite verbal manipulations – this is an important skill.
After all, nowadays, the weapon of propaganda, abusers, and criminals is gaslighting. The essence of gaslighting is an attack through denying your conclusions manipulation to undermine the sense of reality and one's own adequacy. It includes attack (are you in your right mind? Are you sick? What's wrong with you? You are not adequate), denial (that didn't happen, I didn't do or say that, it's a joke, not an insult), accusation (you made it all up yourself, twisting words, I meant well but you're offended), devaluation (your thoughts and feelings are false, you don't see things correctly), manipulation with guilt (I meant well but you're ungrateful or pity me), self-justification (it's not my fault, I was provoked), inconsistency between words and actions. If you feel like you're being made to feel insane, that you can't trust yourself, guilty, constantly justify yourself, constantly criticized, if you feel like you don't understand reality adequately – you are being gaslit. Look at the duck. The duck says – believe in observable actions, be rebellious, drive it away, doubt the attacker, and trust yourself.
2. Rubber duck debugging.
When your mind is filled with a stream of complex, tangled thoughts, turn to the rubber duck, place it on your desk, and ask it as a mental assistant. Sherlock Holmes, however, preferred to converse with a skull. Formulate the question and pause – this helps organize thoughts in clear language. After all, the duck is cute and needs a very simple and clear explanation, as if to a child. Remembering Feynman's words, "if you're a scientist, a quantum physicist, and can't explain in two words to a five-year-old what you do, you're a charlatan." So ask the duck, explain to the duck – it works.
3. Cuteness and stress.
The duckling has typical features of cuteness: big eyes, arched eyebrows, a small chin, a round face, a small nose, plump lips, and chubby cheeks – all these factors have a very strong and very fast impact on our brain. Cuteness stimulates the release of dopamine, empathy, and prosocial behavior, reduces stress and productivity, lowers anxiety and blood pressure, and increases alertness and oxytocin level. So, watching videos with puppies, kittens, and babies can work. Direct the desire to care towards caring for yourself.
- Do not be "an idiot." That is, a person who avoids public and political life, avoiding civic duties in governance: "The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself."
- Tyrannicide. The ancient joke "What is the most unusual thing you've seen? An old tyrant" may seem sooo strange to us today. However, ancient authors believed that tyrannicide was the only effective remedy against tyrants and the defense of democracy. "Great honors are given to one who kills a tyrant." (Aristotle).
Thus, Athenian democracy was not established through elections but through the heroism of Harmodius and Aristogeiton.
They were revered as national heroes, founders of a free state. Later, a cult was established in their honor, and a pair of bronze statues was erected at the Acropolis. Their names were included in the oath to defend the democratic order, and the song celebrating them became the anthem of Athens.
How to stop rumination in 30 seconds.
Overthinking your thoughts exhausts you and degrades your mental health. Stress is not as dangerous as endlessly scrolling through stressful thoughts. It's like you're reliving the stress a thousand times in your head. You need to be able to stop this.😬
The flow of our thoughts is synchronized with the movements of the tongue, hands and eyes. To instantly calm down, you need to stop all muscle movements.
So:
✅1. Fix your eyes at one point (the bridge of your nose) and hold them there.
✅2. Press the tip of your tongue against the hard palate and hold it there.
✅3. Press the back of your hands (palms up) to the front surface of the thigh and hold them there.
Did you feel it? The stream of thoughts stopped. Enjoy it!
False novelty and variety. The unfamiliar is more interesting than the familiar, a new author is more interesting than an old one, and a new sort of candy is more attractive than an old one. Falling into the trap of false variety, using the allure of novelty, we become not explorers but instead rats, endlessly pressing the lever to get more stimulation of dopamine centers in the brain.
Let's talk about the trap of novelty, how new things are often worse than old ones, using food, sex, and information as examples.
▶️1. Attraction and sex.
The Coolidge effect influences diversity and novelty; the new seems more attractive than the familiar. Biologically, this is an increase in sexual activity in the presence of a female ready for fertilization, which the brain perceives as a unique opportunity. Strangers are most attractive. Interestingly, when a man sees a woman's photo for only the second time, he perceives her as less attractive. The desire for novelty (as in sex or porn addiction) turns into sexual addiction, leading to hyperstimulation and dopamine burnout. A person stops getting pleasure from normal stimuli and people and slides into pathology.
▶️2. Appetite and overeating.
The smorgasbord effect - we overeat diverse food but tend to decrease consumption of the same. The variety of processed and calorie-rich food only increases overeating. An abundance of different delicious dishes on one table is a big temptation. The more diverse the food on the table, the more we eat. High-calorie foods are rare in nature, so the body strives to consume them in bulk and store them in fat tissue for possible future threats. Manufacturers make hundreds of various colorful, different flavors and smells products from sugar and flour, stimulating interest in them using the diversity effect. Use uniformity and simplisity regarding high-calorie foods, no more than one per meal.
▶️3. Curiosity and doomscrolling.
The trap of getting stuck in social networks - algorithms consume our attention, stimulating with diversity and pseudo-useful information. Our brain seeks to learn new things that are important for survival. The most important thing is information about threats and maintaining our social status. So, instead of benefiting, we only charge ourselves with hostility in online tribal wars, rise our narcissism, and hyperstimulate the amygdala with an endless stream of bad news and conspiracy fakes (paranoia, fakes, and trash spread in social media much faster than helpful information). Information overload leads to isolation, mood decline, passivity, increased stress, and worsened decision-making. Social network feeds are designed only for endless consumption of your attention.
What to do? 🤔
✅Replace false variety with true variety.
For example, use variety for low-calorie and healthy foods. Four types of seaweed, three types of nuts, five types of legumes, ten types of greens, and two dozen spices. Using the "rainbow" principle, add more colorful vegetables and fruits. This way, vegetables won't get boring, and you'll enjoy eating them. Use variety in shared experiences with your spouse, starting from activities and fun and ending with varied sex. In consuming information, use several quality sources to validate and cross-check one idea or study one phenomenon from all sides. True variety strengthens your body, your psyche, and your relationships, makes you stronger and more authentic. False variety is the addict's chase for another dose, which destroys you.
✅True variety in life is an enriched environment.
It includes visual, social, motor, and many other diverse stimuli, provides opportunities for control and broad participation in society, to study, interact, and receive feedback, contains many opportunities, and can be used; you can try without fear of making mistakes. Aesthetics, friends, leisure, work, worthy challenges - all this heals without exaggeration. An enriched environment heals obesity and addictions and can even slow down the rate of tumor growth and prolong life.
"Land and water." Such was the ultimatum from the ambassadors of the vast Persian Empire to the few and scattered Greek city-states. The demand for land and water meant that the opponent had to not only lay down their arms and surrender but also grant the Persians control over all the land and everything produced on it; the Persians would have absolute power over all the inhabitants of the conquered lands, and the lives of the subjects would now be at the mercy of the Persians. During further negotiations, the Persians determined what rights the conquered would be allowed. Even in modern Greek, "land and water" is synonymous with complete submission.
You know Sparta's reaction to this ultimatum. The Spartans threw the Persian ambassadors into a deep well, saying that there, the Persians would dig up their own land and find enough water.
In the history of these wars, there is everything – the bribery of votes in the Athenian democracy by the Persians, the overthrow of the Athenian tyrant Hippias, who betrayed the Greeks and fled to the Persians, and the Persians demanding the restoration of his power. There were also attempts by tyrants and aristocracies of individual city-states to submit and surrender their cities to the Persians, just to prevent the democratic party from gaining the upper hand. At first, it seemed like there was no chance – the Persians broke through the Thermopylae (see 300 Spartans), Athens fell.
✅But in the scattered city-states, the consciousness of their national unity had already awakened. Mutual quarrels were forgotten, and dozens of city-states formed a military alliance. Coordinated tactics and high morale helped the Greeks fight fantastically against vastly superior enemy forces. In the Battle of Marathon, 10,000 Greeks defeated 26,000 Persians, with the Greeks losing 192 men and the Persians losing 6,400.
✅The Greco-Persian wars ended with the victory of Greek civilization, and the expansion of the Achaemenid Empire was halted. These victories became the catalyst for Greek culture, instilling in them the awareness of their greatness, the triumph of freedom over slavery, and the establishment of democracy in most city-states – which led to the incredible rise of the economy, trade, construction, thought, and culture, creating a majestic civilization. This civilization, in turn, became a model for Roman and Western culture, and thus, a part of each of us.
Athena is not only the goddess of wisdom but, first and foremost, the goddess of strategy and just warfare in ancient Greek mythology. Unlike Ares, who personifies the chaos of battle, she wages wars wisely, protecting order and justice. Her symbols are the owl, shield, and spear.
Wisdom and bravery were inseparable for the Greeks, as Thucydides aptly observed in 460 BCE: "A society that separates intellectuals from warriors will get weak thinkers and warlike fools."
Carnage and culture : landmark battles in the rise of Western power Hanson, Victor Davis 2001
Nonsense as a weapon. One of the most underestimated psychological weapons is nonsense. Rationally planned irrationality is a powerful tool for attacking the body and psyche. Meaningless words, actions, and goals serve a purposeful goal of suppression and repression.
✅1. Uncontrollable stress.
Any stress that cannot be understood is more harmful than comprehensible stress. When a doctor explains the purpose of a procedure, it becomes easier to endure. To humiliate recruits, they are made to perform meaningless actions like painting grass or cutting it with manicure scissors. The endless digging and then filling of holes was practiced in Soviet and Nazi concentration camps to suppress the will of prisoners. Thus, nonsense here serves as an additional torture tool.
✅2. Verbal nonsense.
Word salad is a favorite trick of all kinds of deceivers and bearers of the dark triad (psychopaths, narcissists, manipulators). The stream of meaningless words from the deceiver diverts your attention, overloading the prefrontal cortex that tries to make sense of it and preventing you from noticing the deception. This is essentially a classic DoS attack on your brain.
✅3. Disorientation and distraction.
Nonsense as a camouflage weapon makes you feel smarter than the attacker, causing you to perceive them as foolish and stop tracking their intentions, thus becoming distracted. This is precisely what is needed – under the guise of a silly and ignorant person being mocked, it is much easier to deceive and commit crimes. If it’s impossible to understand, then there’s no need to know what they want, and you can start ignoring them.
When you realize that absurdity is not stupidity but a weapon, it becomes easier to recognize and resist it.
✅Beware of those selling the mental opiate "everything will be fine." Unfortunately, it won’t. The best future needs to be created by us, rolling up our sleeves. Good things never happen by themselves.
📖📖📖The Belief in a Favorable Future. 2017 Psychological Science, 28(9), 1290-1301).
Is Optimism Always Best? Future Outlooks and Preparedness 2006 Association for Psychological Science Volume 15—Number 6
The optimism bias Сurrent biology Volume 21, Issue 23, 6 December 2011, Pages R941-R945
Positive fantasies about idealized futures sap energy Journal of Experimental Social Psychology Volume 47, Issue 4, July 2011, Pages 719-729
In addition to fostering selfishness and narcissism, Ayn Rand attacks any manifestations of morality ethics, considering altruism and empathy as signs of weakness and the desire to help as harmful. Essentially, this is a typical far-right cult of power and calls for the destruction of the "weak." What is extolled in the novel as liberalism and capitalism is nothing more than a trick to seduce the reader. The true roots of liberalism (such as the equality of all people before God) and Protestant capitalism are based on a solid foundation of Christian values. Only honest money is ethical. Only moral success is ethical, which does not harm other people.
Ayn Rand knocks out the ethical foundation of Protestant doctrine, replacing it with egoism. Rand calls altruism "moral cannibalism," and the meaning of life is endless, insatiable satisfaction of one's desires and the accumulation of infinite power and wealth.
In everyday life, Ayn Rand manifested the qualities of her characters: she fought against free, accessible healthcare (but at the same time, she was treated at the government's expense).
An extension of the cult of power is hybristophilia—positive attitudes towards and heroization of criminals. In her view, criminals are heroes, unafraid to satisfy their desires despite societal norms. The apotheosis of hybristophilia was Rand's defense of William Hickman, a murderer who kidnapped, raped, and dismembered a 12-year-old girl. Ayn Rand admired him, calling him a "brilliant, unusual, exceptional boy" and praised his "huge blatant selfishness," dedicating a series of enthusiastic articles to him. The only thing that disappointed her was that "this boy was not strong enough" because "a strong man can eventually crush society under his feet."
Today, Ayn Rand is an icon of American rights. Trump's favorite book is her novel "The Fountainhead" ("It relates to business, beauty, life and inner emotions. That book relates to ... everything"). American libertarians adore her, as well as entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley. Travis Kalanick, Peter Thiel, Elon Musk—all are her fans. David Nolan, one of the founders of the Libertarian Party, stated that "without Ayn Rand, there would be no libertarian movement." The chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, Alan Greenspan (Ann Rand accompanied him personally at the swearing-in ceremony at the White House) and many other economists were fervent supporters of Rand.
Rand's ideas heavily influenced America's development: an outright ban on government social investments, contempt for charity, and a high and unattainable cost of quality education and healthcare for most of the population. Some authors believe that Rand effectively planted a ticking time bomb in the furnace of the American economy.
Therefore, the amorality, narcissism, dishonesty, and hybristophilia of Donald Trump or Elon Musk, many Republicans or libertarians, and how they adore criminals of all kinds—all of this is a natural product of the destruction of cultural capital. Seeking to free humans from the "shackles" of civilization, we do not get the Übermensch, but rather the worst of animals.
About this and the most candid dream of Rand: "A strong man can eventually trample society under his feet."
Weiner A. How bad writing destroyed the world. Ayn Rand and the literary origins of the financial crisis. NY: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016.
Derek Offord Ayn Rand and the Russian Intelligentsia: The Origins of an Icon of the American Right NY: Bloomsbury Academic (2022)
"My friends, for the second time in our history, the Prime Minister of Great Britain has returned from Germany bringing peace with honor. I believe it is peace for our time. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Go home and get a good night's rest".
Arthur Neville Chamberlain spoke these words on September 30, 1938. Less than a year later, the Nazis invaded Poland.
It is just a matter of time before Trump’s speech yesterday and the start of a new great war in Europe. What future historians will call this war—hybrid, "below the threshold of war declaration," a new Cold War, or an open conflict—remains uncertain.
But one thing is sure: those unprepared for this war have a higher chance of perishing than those ready.
Don't waste time. Prepare.
▶️1. The illusion of a just world. It's important to understand that the concept of a "just world" is merely a cognitive distortion, biased, false, and harmful to mental health. Instead of attempting to find blame, it's essential to cultivate the skill of acceptance (accepting the world consciously - observing without judgment, condemnation, or reaction), developing it to the level of stoic amor fati. There is no other world besides this; reality is far better than fantasy. Complaining and being dissatisfied is harmful to mental health.
▶️2. Humility. When we are manipulated, our selfish and narcissistic tendencies make us susceptible to resentment. In ancient times, people were convinced that pride tempted the devil (pride is the beginning of every sin): "You are the best! You deserve better! All your problems are because of this enemy! Hate him and kill him, and you'll immediately get everything!" Both left and right ideologies use this tactic. If you recognize your limitations and perceptual distortions, humility makes you immune to such manipulation.
▶️3. Enriched environment. The best vaccination against resentment is a good upbringing, an enriched environment, the opportunity for control, and broad social participation. When people can proactively realize themselves, they engage in their affairs rather than immersing themselves in vindictive fantasies of resentment. The more independence, the better. Avoid cultures and people who instill resentment in you (such as left-wing literature, right-wing literature, Russian literature, Chinese literature, German etc.). Max Scheler wrote in his 1913 monograph on resentment: "No literature is as overflowing with resentment as russian literature. The books of Dostoevsky, Gogol, and Tolstoy are teeming with characters charged with resentment."
▶️4. Learning instead of envy. Instead of solving their problems, resentment demands finding someone to blame. No one owes you anything, but you owe a lot to many. Instantly forget about your good deeds and always remember how someone helped you. Resentment demands punishing the "enemy," but common sense teaches learning from the best. Instead of envying or hating, rejoice and learn, transcend your problems. There's nothing good about relishing your problems and making them the basis of a worldview or cult - it will only destroy and deform your personality, turning you into what you want to avoid. Please treat your problems carefully - everyone has different starting points, what's important is not where we start from but how and where we move forward.
The simplest way in the world to eat less and not feel hungrier. Highly processed foods are less filling; people eat them 50% faster and consume more than whole foods with minimal processing. Simply switching to whole foods can reduce overeating by 500 kcal per day without feeling hungry! It's essential to create a nutrition strategy that reduces the number of calories consumed without increasing hunger and relying on willpower. Just four examples for thought.
🟥1. Low in fiber.
An average muffin is equivalent in calories to five apples. A big muffin usually contains 400-500 calories (depending on the ingredients). An average apple contains about 80-100 calories. If you take 5 apples, it would be 400-500 calories, roughly the same as the calorie content of a large muffin. There will be 10-20 times more fiber in five apples than in the muffin.
🟥2. Low in protein.
Let's compare chicken breast and sausage. Chicken breast contains four times more protein per calorie than sausage. If we compare by weight, the situation is similar: in 100 grams of chicken breast, there is 2.58 times more protein than in 100 grams of sausage.
🟥3. Low in volume.
Dense calorie foods are chewed faster, swallowed faster, take up less space, and we overeat them faster. For example, if you compare portions of a Mars bar and broccoli equal in calories, the broccoli will be about 56 times larger in volume than a standard Mars bar.
🟥4. High in added sugar and fat.
Compare French fries and regular potatoes. 100 grams of French fries contain 15 grams of fat, while 100 grams of boiled potatoes contain only 0.1 grams. This means French fries contain about 150 times more fat than boiled potatoes. 100 grams of French fries contain 312 calories, while 100 grams of boiled potatoes contain 80 calories. That means French fries contain 3.9 times more calories than boiled potatoes.
📖Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake 2019, Cell Metabolism 30, 67–77
Why do I pay in cash (I spend money more optimally), check the time on mechanical wristwatches (less distractions compared to a phone), and use a 30-minute sand timer instead of a Pomodoro timer? The digits in the corner of the screen don’t even come close to the falling sand and the clearly smooth passage of time in the sand timer. Our brain processes and perceives physical and digital things differently – and this has serious consequences. Here are five more examples:
✅1. Cash vs. cards. People spend less money when using cash because the physical loss of money is felt more strongly than a cashless payment. People are willing to pay twice as much for the same product when paying by card compared to cash. The visceral nature of cash—its smell, feel, and the act of counting it—creates an emotional connection that digital payments lack. When we handle cash, we are not just spending money; we are parting with a piece of ourselves.
✅2. Paper books vs. e-books. Reading paper books helps retain information better. Those who read on paper performed better on text comprehension tests than Kindle users. Students who read from paper scored 25% better on tests than those who studied the same material on a tablet.
✅3. Handwritten notes vs. typed text. Writing by hand improves memory and understanding of material. Students who took handwritten notes better retained lecture material than those who typed them on a laptop. People who wrote down their goals by hand achieved them 1.4 times more often than those who only thought about them or entered them into an app. People who use paper calendars recall their tasks 23% better than those who rely solely on digital reminders.
✅4. Paper photographs and letters vs. digital. People better remember moments if they print photos instead of storing them on their phones. Viewing paper photos activates more emotions and memories than scrolling through a gallery on a phone. People who received a physical letter experienced 67% more emotions than those who received the same letter electronically.
✅5. In-person meetings vs. video calls. In-person communication improves emotional connection and trust. Oxytocin levels increase with live communication but hardly change during a video call.
📖📖📖Money you could touch: cash and psychological ownership", Qualitative Market Research, Vol. 27 No. 5, pp. 820-840
Don't throw away your printed books: A meta-analysis on the effects of reading media on reading comprehension Educational Research Review Volume 25, November 2018, Pages 23-38
How using a paper versus mobile calendar influences everyday planning and plan fulfillment Volume33, Issue1 January 2023 Pages 115-122
Paper Notebooks vs. Mobile Devices: Brain Activation Differences During Memory Retrieval," Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience: March 19, 2021
Indeed, according to modern research, hubris syndrome does not develop when in power for a term of up to 1 year.
The antidote is modesty. Modesty and moderation are human qualities that do not appear independently but are the result of development. Childish egocentrism, when a child seems to be the center of the universe, is typical for a four-year-old but abnormal for an adult. As a person grows up, they understand how great their limitations are and how little they know the world. A simple way to check is to ask yourself how you feel when you hear "I'm just a cog in the societal machine." If you feel discomfort, you still have work to do.
Power changes how the brain responds to others J Exp Psychol Gen 2014 Apr;143(2):755-62.
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Hubris syndrome: An acquired personality disorder? A study of US Presidents and UK Prime Ministers over the last 100 years Brain, Volume 132, Issue 5, May 2009, Pages 1396–1406
The madness of politics. J R Soc Med 2003 Dec;96(12):602-4.
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Living large: The powerful overestimate their own height. Psychological Science, 23(1), 36-40.
Dacher Keltner The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence.
Socioeconomic status is associated with striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptors in healthy volunteers but not in cocaine abusers Neurosci Lett. 2016 Mar 23; 617: 27–31.
Here are two common psychiatric syndromes that might seem painfully familiar to you:
Paraphrenia
A delusional syndrome combining grandiose ideas, a sense of a special mission, and persecution paranoia. It occurs against a background of euphoria and disinhibition, often accompanied by vivid visions of a "special future." Patients consider themselves to be great figures with extraordinary abilities. This condition is frequently associated with manic behavior and excessive talkativeness. Causes often include organic brain deterioration due to aging (e.g., cerebral atherosclerosis), schizophrenia, and delusional disorders. It is relatively common, affecting up to 4% of people over 60.
Hebephrenia
A syndrome of prefrontal dysfunction characterized by childish silliness, bizarre gestures, grimacing, jumping or rolling on the floor, and inappropriate humor. Patients frequently display marked antisocial behavior, an elevated but hollow mood, affected mannerisms, brutality, fragmented hallucinations and delusions, hypersexuality, mood swings, and episodes of angry agitation and impulsive aggression.
Unlike simple infantilism, hebephrenia is marked by nonsensical, obscene behavior, an empty emotional state, and completely irrational actions. Attempts to reprimand the patient often provoke hostility and aggression. Patients are unable to maintain coherent conversations. This syndrome is commonly seen in psychoses with organic brain damage, including cases caused by stimulant abuse.
February 2nd is Groundhog Day. Every morning we wake up and every day, we encounter things or events that we try but cannot change. We get angry, sad, and make many attempts – often to no avail. Phil's story reflects this sequence – first bewilderment, then entertainment, depression, omnipotence, and finally the stage of kindness. From attempts to change the world according to his will, the protagonist narrows the zone of control and finally understands that only he can change. Buddha gave the example of a dog who, having bitten his leg and smelling the taste of blood, gnawed himself to the bone.
By trying to indulge his desires, entertain himself, and destroy, the hero begins to see in the terrifying routine of identical day opportunities. By abandoning the focus on his desires, he finds precisely those unique features of the day that allow him to unleash his potential and opportunities.
His ego does not help – and in the process of trials, the hero destroys his ego, renounces self-pity, and accepts his fate. Instead of considering himself trapped in prison of one day, the hero fell in love with the world around him, which is very close to the stoic concept of "amor fati" – loving one's fate, which will open our eyes to the amazing opportunities that each day presents to us.
Therefore, when we are at an impasse and despair, cognitive flexibility will help us, abandoning what no longer works or only causes us suffering. Our chains and whips are in our heads. We can let them go at any time, let go easily - like unclenching our hand and throwing a napkin into the trash bin. Will we be able to find freedom and clear vision, or will we continue to indulge our ego, remaining trapped in the trap of the day? As Marcus Aurelius said: "Picture yourself already dead. Now, live the rest of your life as it should be."
The drug of "greatness" seems to work wonders for all the losers. In the Bible, the devil tempts his victims with power and grandeur: "you will be like gods." The populist’s tried-and-true recipe is to find scapegoats, target a vulnerable minority, blame them for all the troubles, and call for their destruction (instead of solving real problems).
Gypsies, Protestants, migrants, the bourgeoisie, priests, women, Jews, gays—every populist picks their scapegoat to incite a frenzied mob under the guise of restoring greatness.
A mentally healthy aware person can clearly see the true nature of any "free greatness" or handouts: bait hiding a steel hook, cheese that will leave you with a broken spine if you take it or even your soul.
Different human societies evolve through complex and often unpredictable mechanisms over time, but they always degrade similarly because human biology remains unchanged. The patterns and the trajectory of this degradation have not changed in two and a half thousand years since the time of Aristotle (in Politics) and Plato (in The Republic). Therefore, their works clearly describe and predict much better than the average "analyst." Here are seven points:
1. War and aggression. A tyrant always starts a conflict, a war supposedly to conquer foreign lands. But the real goal of the war is different – to increase his popularity: "When the tyrant has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest or treaty, and there is nothing to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war or other, so that the people may require a leader."
2. Searching for a Scapegoat (Minority). A tyrant never acknowledges his problems; in any misfortune, he always blames a minority, inciting his supporters against them and trying to destroy them. Every tyrant seeks to keep society in poverty, disease, and ignorance, destroying any worthy individuals and turning the population into cattle. Remember the story of the tyrant of Syracuse? "To preserve power, a tyrant must cut down the tallest stalks so that none stands out in height." (Herodotus, Book V).
3. This leads to mass persecutions and killings, which destroy the intellectual, professional, and moral elites: "A tyrant's characteristic is to push away all those whose hearts are proud and free." "This tyrant, if he wants to keep power, must consistently kill his critics until there is no one left among his friends or enemies who is capable of anything.", "And if, I presume, he suspects that there are free spirits who will not suffer his domination, his further object is to find pretexts for destroying them by exposing them to the enemy?"
4. The tyrant surrounds himself only with those who are personally loyal, appointing his relatives, bodyguards, drivers, and friends to positions. The key is that they must have neither honor nor conscience: "The tyrant, therefore, must be on the lookout for those who are courageous, generous, wise, or wealthy. His well-being depends on his being necessarily hostile to all these people and plotting against them until he has destroyed them all."
5. The Big Lie Principle. A tyrant always seduces the crowd with the drug of "greatness," promising to make their polis great again, etc. This is why Aristotle writes that many tyrants came from demagogues: "Of old, the demagogue was also a general, and then democracies changed into tyrannies. Most of the ancient tyrants were originally demagogues." Tyrants always usurp power as "protectors": "This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector."
6. Any tyranny always ends in deaths, violence, poverty, and degradation: "It is also in the interests of a tyrant to keep his people poor, so that they may not be able to afford the cost of protecting themselves by arms and be so occupied with their daily tasks that they have no time for rebellion." (Aristotle).
7. Ultimately, this societal degradation leads to the development of Stockholm Syndrome: "Tyranny is not a matter of minor theft and violence, but of wholesale plunder, sacred and profane, private or public. If you are caught committing such crimes in detail you are punished and disgraced; sacrilege, kidnapping, burglary, fraud, theft are the names we give to such petty forms of wrongdoing. But when a man succeeds in robbing the whole body of citizens and reducing them to slavery, they forget these ugly names and call him happy and fortunate, as do all others who hear of his unmitigated wrongdoing." (Plato, The Republic 344a-c)
What should be done ? There are many antic solutions, but here are two of the most common:
Take care of your head from a young age. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a dangerous, incurable, difficult-to-diagnose, and widespread disease that is rarely discussed. This condition arises as a result of accumulating blows or concussions to the head, with the individual feeling no immediate consequences after the impact. These effects accumulate throughout life, and the disease continues to progress even after exposure ceases.
Total cumulative lifetime exposure to repetitive brain trauma is the greatest risk factor for CTE. The longer someone plays football, in particular, their risk of developing CTE doubles every 2.6 years. More than six years of ring experience were observed to have reductions in size in their hippocampus and thalamus.
The disease is classified as a tauopathy (accumulation of tau protein) and differs from Alzheimer's. Morphologically, it is characterized by significant changes in many brain regions, including severe degradation of the prefrontal cortex. Another issue is that no precise method for diagnosing it during life has been developed. CTE cannot be diagnosed in living individuals; an accurate diagnosis is only possible during an autopsy.
It was first described as "boxer's dementia," "boxer's madness," or "punch-drunk syndrome" and occurs most often in sports such as boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and contact sports such as rugby, American football, professional wrestling, and ice hockey. Autopsies have shown CTE in 99 percent of brains obtained from National Football League (NFL) players, as well as in 91 percent of college football players and 21 percent of high school football players. In many cases, the disease is detected in individuals under the age of 30 and in amateurs (over 70% of cases). Doctors as early as the 1950s advocated banning such sports because they lead to irreversible disability.
Symptoms include abrupt personality changes at a young age. One of the most commonly injured areas of the brain in traumatic brain injury is the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). The VMPFC serves as an inhibitory control center for the limbic system, the seat of the fight-or-flight response. Thus, its damage results in anxiety, impulsivity, and aggression.
This leads to disinhibition, impulsivity, pronounced aggression, antisocial behavior, drug use, sexual offenses, and a tendency to commit crimes. Patients with CTE may be prone to inappropriate or explosive behavior and may display pathological jealousy or paranoia, poor judgment, depression, and suicidality. Studies have reported that individuals with a history of brain injury were approximately 2.5 times more likely to be incarcerated than those without.
What to do?
1. Avoid sports with concussions or head impacts from childhood.
Do not enroll children in such sports. Many martial arts avoid head strikes. These activities are absolutely and categorically contraindicated if you have a family history of mental health issues or carry the ApoE4 gene.
2. Remember that athletes from such sports who become influencers may likely have certain negative tendencies, such as spreading hatred and aggression, along with reduced cognitive abilities.
3. Protect your head when cycling, climbing mountains, or engaging in extreme sports. Follow traffic rules and avoid interactions with bad people.
Behavioral Health Symptoms Associated With Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: A Critical Review of the Literature and Recommendations for Treatment and Research The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences Volume 26, Number 4
Clinicopathological Evaluation of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Players of American Football JAMA. 2017;318(4):360-370.
A Review of the Role of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Criminal Court Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 2020, JAAPL.200054-20