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Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life

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Born to Be Good
Born to Be Good is something less than the subtitle (The Science of a Meaningful Life) suggests. More accurately, it covers the science of certain selected emotions and, more narrowly still, primarily the research of certain psychologists, bolstered by a bit of neuroscience. Most specifically, it focuses in large part (although not exclusively) on the work of Paul Ekman (the author's mentor) and the research of Keltner himself (along with his students).

Ekman was a pioneer in developing a technique to match facial expressions to associated emotions. He found that several basic emotions -- such as anger, disgust, fear, sadness, surprise, and happiness -- register in the same facial muscle actions across cultures. Keltner has carried on in this tradition.

Following Jonathan Haidt and others, Keltner's larger thesis is that evolution has honed moral intuitions into embodied emotions that abet the development of morality and communal cooperation. For instance, one can easily see the social benefits of compassion, and the research shows it to correlate to activity in the vagus nerve, a bodily system which developed deep in our mammalian past.

So far, so good. However, Keltner stretches the point to claim that we have evolved a set of emotions that enable us to live a meaningful life, and that, "The key to happiness is to let these emotions arise, to see them fully in oneself and others, and to train the eye and mind in that practice." He proposes what he calls a "jen ratio" to reflect the balance between the "good and uplifting" and the "bad and cynical."

The problem is that he pretty much drops these more ambitious propositions after raising them in Chapter 1. There is no discussion of what a "meaningful life" might be other than one filled with positive emotions. Is meaningfulness simply just happiness? Nor is there a further explication of the "jen ratio," of how the positive emotions might be weighed against the negative ones, for instance. And there is little more on what practices, Zen or otherwise, might contribute to a more favorable jen. If the emotions are biologically established, how can we do much to alter the ratio of their expression in our lives?

Keltner's argument is impaired by the relative lack of attention he gives to the negative emotions. Are these too not also rooted in evolution? There is a case to be made for how anger and the retributive impulse, for instance, might also contribute to social bonding. How would that play out in a jen ratio? Keltner seems to be suggesting we would be better off without the negative emotions. But, if so, why did they evolve?

On the other hand, Born to Be Good has a great deal of merit in what it does cover. Depending on your starting point, if you read it you may learn a lot about how faces and, in some cases, touch or other body language communicate individuals' emotions, attitudes, and intent. Keltner offers informative chapters on embarrassment, smiles, laughter, teasing, and awe, for instance. The many illustrations are very helpful, especially those picturing different facial expressions.

I found the pages covering Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles especially interesting. You probably cannot fake a Duchenne smile, so you should not think you have fooled your hostess that you are enjoying her party when you are not. And if you are considering Botox treatments you may want to think twice. You may believe you will look prettier but, as Keltner points out, your partner(s) will receive fewer clues to your joy, love, and devotion.

I am giving this book three stars because I came to it expecting a more developed presentation of a "science of a meaningful life." If it had not promised quite so much I would have rated it higher (perhaps the subtitle is a tease, a behavior Keltner devotes a chapter to).

Darwin's theory of evolution says that through a process called "natural selection" those that cannot adapt to the environment eventually become extinct. Fossils around the globe confirm this. In light of this theory, one might think that the strong will always survive and overpower the weak out of existence. Genes by their nature, therefore, are selfish because all they want to do is propagate.

Since we are all made from genes, some believe that we, too, as a species are selfish by nature. As the book states, our every action is designed to maximize wealth. We help others expecting we would in turn receive help someday. We would satisfy the "pleasure centers" of our brains through sex, drug, money, self-interest, or any other means anytime we could. "Thou shalt not kill" implies that murder is in our blood and therefore the need for such a commandment in the first place. In the greater scheme of an evolutionary wilderness, acts of kindness toward others are simply aberrations or misfires in the brain.

The book disagrees.

Darwin himself observed that sympathetic communities are more likely to produce healthier offspring than cruel ones. Human history shows that compassion always pulls through in times of war. And new studies of our body's physiology show that caretaking emotions are wired within our nervous systems.

As a species, we evolved at some point to walk on two feet. In doing so, the female's birth canal narrowed. Our babies therefore have to be born small in order to pass through the smaller opening. In comparison to other animals whose newborns can walk upright the moment they're born, our babies need a long time of nursing -- at least eighteen months and continually at that all throughout the day -- before they can survive on their own. As a result, caregiving for the human species became a way of life.

Emotion has often been downplayed, restrained, indeed even belittled, in comparison to intellect. We must suppress emotion and let intellect roam free if we are to discover new things, solve life's riddles, and survive in an increasingly competitive and academic business world. Excitement, it is said, kills. Although true and essential when, say, doing a heart bypass, maneuvering a crippled jetliner into safe landing, or simply driving down the highway, we should not forget that -- as the book so plainly states -- had it not been for our emotions, we as a species might not be here today.

The entire book can be summarized in just a few words: Darwin and evolutionary psychology are good; positive emotions are good; helping others experience positive emotions is good; the face and other non-verbals are good indicators of emotions; Dr. Paul Ekman is good; HHDL is good; jen is really good; and we can all be good if we choose to be.

If you enjoy reading positive psychology, this is not a bad book. I enjoyed it as a leisurely read over a few nights. I do wish the author had used a traditional list of references and notes to summarize his sources. I suspect there are better books on the horizon for Dr. Keltner...

Time and time again, studies have shown that what makes us happy is the quality of our romantic bonds, the health of our families, the time we spend with good friends, and the connection we feel to communities. The Dalai Lama said, "If you want to be happy, practice compassion; if you want others to be happy, practice compassion." "Born to be Good" by Dacher Keltner, who is professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, postulates that our capacity for good is programmed into our brains and bodies.

Keltner has developed what he calls "jen" science. The Confucian concept of "jen" refers to a complex mixture of kindness, humanity, and respect that transpires between people. Keltner's "jen" science is the study of facial expressions, patterns of touch, and tones of voice. He uses neuroscience, evolution, psychology, and Eastern thought to explain how we evolved to be good.

And this is the third book I've read recently that deals with Paul Eckman's Facial Action Coding System (FACS). It was discussed in Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink" and "Social Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman. FACS is a method of identifying, frame by frame, facial muscle movement to detect emotional expression during social interaction. Apparently we express emotions in millisecond bursts of facial muscle movement which conveys much more than language can with its inherent limits. Ekman also proved that facial expression is cross-cultural - all humans express the same emotions using the same facial muscle movements.

In chapters devoted to "pro-social" emotional displays such as smile, laughter, tease, compassion, and awe, Keltner shines new light on the exact meaning of certain emotional displays. For instance, before he began his research, the display of embarrassment was thought to be a sign of confusion and thwarted intention. He discovered that this display is actually a sign of respect for others, a sign of our appreciation of others view of things, and our commitment to the social order.

I enjoy reading books like "Born to be Good" because I believe they help me with my recovery from addiction. I have to always be mindful of the emotions I'm feeling, why I'm feeling them, and how I react to them. And now I have more insight into how and why I express them.

David Allan Reeves
Author of "Running Away From Me"

I am happy to see Keltner's efforts in print to emphasize the positive in human nature. However, I don't believe that humans are 'born to be good'. I believe what matters is that humans are born with choice to 'be good'. The ability to choose is what ultimately matters, a choice that can easily be tampered with or eliminated through the devastating effects of severe infant-child abuse and neglect that changes brain growth and development. I have spent many hours working to understand Keltner's work and his perspective. Please read my post for a broader description of how I relate to Keltner's views:

+A LONG, THOUGHTFUL LOOK AT VERBAL ABUSE AS MALIGNANT TEASING

found at

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Dacher Keltner has presented the best evidence that I have seen that altruism is one of our deepest instincts. Keltner has analyzed thousands of images of split-second expressions on human faces, and demonstrates that the expressions associated with empathy occur faster than would be possible with conscious thought. I believe that this is something very important that everyone should know about human nature.

This book comprehensively explores many different positive and beneficial emotions in the context of empirical research. Dr. Keltner demonstrates these emotions as being evolutionarily reinforced, and makes an uplifting and encouraging case for the nature of humans being inherently "good." A must-read for positive psychologists!

Excellent read and I enjoyed the book. Wanted to know more about "Awe" feelings. Found it useful in so many ways.
thanks and the service, shipping and ordering was superb too.

The author is a solid academic psychologist (UC Berkeley) who is well versed in the debates among evolutionary biologists over whether or not we are hardwired for selfish competition or altruistic competition. His position is sensible: both! In his first foray into writing a book for non-specialists, he synthesizes insights from science, religion and philosophy. Maybe because I like his approaches, I find the author to be lucid and well versed. I want to sit in on his lectures. For a more "on-the-other-hand" review of this book, here is a link to veteran book critic Art Winslow's review in the International Herald Tribune:[...]

In a time when this world seems a bleak place with suffering and death across the continents, economies plummeting, societies approaching collapse, and a general despair in the air; one has little else to turn to. But then there's Born to Be Good. Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and director of the Greater Good Science Center, presents a book that offers hope in humanity to those who feel there is none. The first part of the book is spent on the Confucian concept of jen, "which refers to kindness, humanity, and reverence," as well as Keltner's thoughts on the Eastern Religions and what they offer in "being good." The second part of Born to Be Good is spent researching and delving into the anthropological reasoning behind being a good person, and how it exists intrinsically in our DNA and our species, providing examples in other animals, as well as Homo sapiens. The last part of the book combines these two spheres of thought into a cohesive whole using what Keltner terms the jen ratio. Keltner fully believes there is absolute goodness in humanity, and Born to Be Good is an uplifting and enlightening read in these dark and dower times.

Originally written on January 3rd 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.

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