Acknowledgments ix

Preface xi

Introduction 1

Week One You 9

Day One Shared Instincts 11

Day Two Snap Judgments 22

Day Three Default to the Negative 32

Day Four Best-Fit Thinking 40

Day Five Friend, Enemy, Sexual Partner, or Indifferent 49

Day Six Moods and Emotions 59

Day Seven The Spice of Life 73

Week Two Relationships 85

Day Eight Relationships Are Dyadic 87

Day Nine Opposites Attract 95

Day Ten BFFs 105

Day Eleven Enemies 114

Day Twelve Indifference 125

Day Thirteen Moods Are Contagious 132

Day Fourteen The Four Stages of Relationship 141

Week Three Tribe 151

Day Fifteen We Are Tribal 153

Day Sixteen Tribal Nurture 161

Day Seventeen Hierarchy 168

Day Eighteen Tension 176

Day Nineteen Values 187

Day Twenty Diversity 196

Day Twenty-One Changing Tribes is Expensive 206

Week Four New You 215

Day Twenty-Two Suspend Judgment 217

Day Twenty-Three Be Curious 225

Day Twenty-Four Open Your Heart 235

Day Twenty-Five Give 243

Day Twenty-Six Manage Your Disappointment 250

Day Twenty-Seven Values Trump Rules 257

Day Twenty-Eight Expand Your Tribe 267

Conclusion 275

Further Reading and Resources 278

About the Author 282

Index 283

A number one anxiety in business is dealing with problem people. Unfortunately, try as you might, you can't fix others—but you can manage your reactions to their behavior. When you tame your most impulsive, primitive reactions to the crazy situations you face every day, you'll help others do the same.

Tame the Primitive Brain offers a new and simple system to understanding and controlling the behavior of others. Noted body language, behavior, and communication expert Mark Bowden explains the fastest and most effective ways to understand why someone acts toward you the way they do; why you react to their behavior in the way you do; and most important, what exactly to do to achieve the right outcomes. With these proven tools and tricks, you'll gain enhanced confidence to deal with tricky behaviors and effectively manage relationships at any level in an organization.

Over the course of 28 days, you can learn how to become more influential and persuasive in every situation, giving you a competitive advantage in navigating a myriad of difficult behaviors. Bolstered by the latest evolutionary behavioral theory and neuroscientific evidence, Tame the Primitive Brain details a step-by-step system for understanding the behavior of others and the best tools to manage them, including:

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Your instincts will never change, but you can learn to manage your impulses better, and in effect, manage the knee-jerk reactions of others. Tame the Primitive Brain dives deep into our reptilian brain and shows you how.