A Monster in Each of Us

Inspired by Dan Ariely's Predictably Irrational
Chapter 5: The Influence of Arousal - Why Hot is Much Hotter Then We Realize

I always see myself as a good person. I'm sure you see yourself good too. Right? I believe in the goodness inside me and you. Almost all the time, I behave as normal as do average people. Oh, wait... There's once when I cannot control myself. Oh, no, it's not once. It is two or three or more. Now, I remember when my ego was hurt by my wife, I went wild and crazy. I broke the alarm clock in our bedroom and slamed the door. She turned in tears. Our little kids too. O my loved ones, please forgive my misconduct. O God, please pour your very goodnes into my heart.

So, there is a good personality inside me, while there is also a wicked one. Is it right to assume that other people, like you perhaps, also have those two split personalities? Probably YES. Having asked and answered that, however, I feel that there's a good chance that you are better than me, although the monster inside you is still there but latent. The religion deals with the possibility that there is a monster inside us. The holy book mentions that God gives both goodness and wickedness to every soul, but the ones who choose the right path will be handsomely rewarded.

As I mention earlier, my personal life shows that I can be Dr Jekyll in one time, but easily can turn into Mr Hyde in another. The religion dictates it, while many social phenomena publicly reported in the media bold the statement. Moreover, a scientific research conducted by Dan Ariely proves it. Here is the research. A respondent, a normal single male, was questioned about his sexual preferences. In the cool state, he answered normatively. There was no sign at all whether he had an abnormal sexual behavior. Dan changed the environment of the survey a little bit and invited the same respondents, including the good guy.

The second phase of the survey entailed a conditioning before the survey questions were answered. The good guy had to stimulate himself by masturbating while looking at the you-know pictures. He had to maintain this hot state and start answering the survey. The result? He seemed to forget his values. He was more willing to behave like a monster. For example, while rejecting - in the cool state - the idea of having sex with an animal, then he - in the hot state - was more willing to commit such a misconduct. Another example, while rejecting - in the cool state - the idea of having sex with a very old woman, then he was more willing to do so. Furthermore, sexual abuses were more tolerated. Hey, what happened here?

Apparently, if Mr Hyde takes over, Dr Jekyll can do nothing. Dr Jekyll does not know Mr Hyde is inside him, let alone his promise to think rationally at all time. So, what can Dr Jekyll do? Nothing, but Dan Ariely believes there is still hope for each of us, another Dr Jekyll. First, we need to know there is a monster inside. Second, we need to keep in our mind that we cannot what-so-ever control the monster if he already takes over. Third,we can make our best effort to prevent the monster coming by avoiding some circumstances. We can also set a mechanistic device to put the monster away when he is about to come. For example, we as a society can make a new smart car that can stop the heart-beat music when the sound reaches a height of irresponsibility (hehe, thanks to Obama).

OK, OK. Now what else can we do? If you do not mind, please consider this virtue. It is easier to prevent a problematic, high-risk, or abusive sex while in the cool rational state. After all, "the most expensive sex is free sex," said Woody Allen!

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