{"id":39899,"date":"2021-06-26T11:51:55","date_gmt":"2021-06-26T15:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=39899"},"modified":"2021-06-30T15:00:16","modified_gmt":"2021-06-30T19:00:16","slug":"chimp-paradox-stone-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/chimp-paradox-stone-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is The Chimp Paradox Stone of Life?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is The Chimp Paradox <\/em>Stone of Life? How can it help you to understand yourself<\/a>? What does Steve Peters mean by your inner computer? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your <\/em>Stone of Life is the set of beliefs and values that control how you see and experience the world. This includes beliefs like \u201clife is unfair\u201d and values like \u201cfamily is more important than work.\u201d Steve Peters argues that your personal Stone of Life impacts your relationships, self-esteem, and chances of success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below, learn how to apply The Chimp Paradox <\/em>Stone of Life theory to your own life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Chimp Paradox<\/em>: Stone of Life and Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In order to fully understand The Chimp Paradox<\/em> Stone of Life, you should first understand what Peters means by the Computer. Your Computer is a set of beliefs, habits, and knowledge that allows you to make most of your decisions without thinking about them.<\/strong> It automates your actions so that you don\u2019t have to think carefully about, for example, how to make a cup of coffee every time you do it. Because its reactions are automated, your Computer makes decisions approximately four times faster than your Chimp does and about 20 times faster than your Human. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because your Computer is a record of habits of behavior, it acts as a guide when your Chimp and Human aren\u2019t sure how to react to a situation. They\u2019ll check with your Computer to see how they\u2019ve reacted to previous situations in order to figure out how to act in new situations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you’re born, your Computer is an empty program. As you grow, your Chimp and Human input their learned behaviors and beliefs into your Computer. Because these beliefs and habits are learned, and not innate in the way that the Chimp\u2019s instincts are innate, you can remove or relearn any beliefs or habits you decide to, if you put the effort in. Unfortunately, most of us don\u2019t, and consequently, we let our Computer do our thinking without questioning it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four Elements<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Your Computer has four elements that drive it. These elements are key to understanding The Chimp Paradox<\/em> Stone of Life: <\/p>\n\n\n\n