In 'The 48 Laws of Power', Robert Greene and Joost Elffers synthesize three thousand years of the history of power into 48 laws. These laws are derived from the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, and Carl Von Clausewitz, as well as the lives of influential figures such as Henry Kissinger and P.T. Barnum. The book provides tactics, concepts, and lessons on how to achieve and maintain power, emphasizing prudence, confidence, and self-preservation. Each law is illustrated with historical examples and is designed to help readers understand and navigate the dynamics of power in various aspects of life, including work, social hierarchies, and politics.
This book presents the Polyvagal Theory, which was introduced by Stephen W. Porges in 1994. The theory reworks our understanding of the autonomic nervous system, particularly the parasympathetic nervous system, by dividing it into two distinct branches: the ventral vagal system, which supports social engagement, and the dorsal vagal system, which supports immobilization behaviors. The theory has significant implications for the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, and autism, and it provides insights into how our autonomic nervous system mediates social engagement, trust, and intimacy. The book is divided into several parts, covering theoretical principles, biobehavioral regulation during early development, social communication and relationships, and therapeutic and clinical perspectives.
Game Changers by Dave Asprey is a comprehensive guide that distills the wisdom from over 450 interviews with highly successful leaders, innovators, and mavericks. The book focuses on three main objectives: becoming smarter, faster, and happier. It offers 46 science-backed 'laws' that provide practical strategies for optimizing diet, exercise, sleep habits, and mental performance. Asprey combines insights from human biology and psychology with real-world examples to help readers upgrade their 'operating system' to better align with modern goals. The book covers a wide range of topics, including taming fear and anxiety, making better decisions, establishing high-performance habits, and practicing gratitude and mindfulness[1][4][5].
Bulletproof Radio welcomes scientist Dr. Stephen Porges back to the show. He's known for his deep and profound understanding of the human nervous system and its application to real-life clinical settings.
Dr. Porges created the Polyvagal Theory, which explains the workings of the vagal nerve and links the evolution of the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behavior. He has authored and co-authored several books on the subject. For 25 years, his Polyvagal Theory has been leading to innovative treatments based on insights into the mechanisms mediating symptoms observed in behavioral, psychiatric, and physical disorders.
One of my favorite episodes of Bulletproof Radio was #264 when he and I talked about this theory. I encourage you to listen to that episode and check out the two Bulletproof Blog articles. I was so impressed with his research that I included it in my new book Game Changers, specifically Law #44, which is “Gratitude is Stronger than Fear.”
Dr. Porges also is the creator of a music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol™, which currently is used by more than 1200 therapists to improve spontaneous social engagement, to reduce hearing sensitivities, and to improve language processing, state regulation, and spontaneous social engagement.
In this new episode, we explore how sound, safety, environment and gratitude are all intimately connected to our nervous system circuitry.
“Your body, in safe environments, will start to spontaneously optimize those circuits,” explains Dr. Porges. “We need to structure narratives that have a degree of positivity, so that our nervous system doesn't feel too scared to evaluate it.”
We’ll be making links between Dr. Stephen’s work and fascinating brain-body interactions, often deeply rooted in our ancient biology. We introduce “neuroception,” find out how to structure environments for those who struggle with sensory processing issues, better understand how hearing frequencies affect adults and kids differently, and learn how to control our own heart rate variability.
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The Human Upgrade with Dave Asprey 
