What do humans and lobsters have in common? Apart from the fact that both have social hierarchies and serotonin, not all that much really. Last time we checked, we don’t live underwater or have tasty claws. 

But despite the differences, esteemed (and often controversial) Canadian psychologist and Harvard Professor, Jordan Peterson, has become rather well known for his theory linking human social hierarchies to lobsters. 

The first rule in Peterson’s book is “Stand up straight with your shoulders back." Indeed, aggressive and dominant lobsters stand up to exert their authority. Lobsters also don’t really like each other much on the whole, except when they're trying to mate. Mostly they’re just trying to be macho and make all the other lobsters their subordinates. The males compete for the best territory to win access to most females. 

So the moral of the story is, just be a dickhead because you’re the same as a lobster? 

CHAPTERS:

00:00 What is Sociobiology?

05:16 Jordan Peterson: Psychologist & traditionalist

12:57 12 Rules for Life: An Overview

15:52 Stand Up Straight with Your Shoulders Back

18:15 Lobster theory

20:01 Humans and Lobsters Exist in Hierarchies

23:22 The Science Behind Serotonin

26:31 Why Compare to the Lobster?

31:43 Cherry Picking to Illustrate Existing Beliefs

35:34 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show

SOURCES:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Peterson
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/06/04/jordan-peterson-needs-to-reconsider-the-lobster/
• https://theconversation.com/psychologist-jordan-peterson-says-lobsters-help-to-explain-why-human-hierarchies-exist-do-they-90489#:~:text=Peterson%20argues%20that%2C%20like%20humans,helps%20make%20more%20serotonin%20available
• https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/21/human-instinct-why-we-are-unique
• https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/jordan-peterson-12-rules-kate-manne-review/
• https://deadwildroses.com/2019/01/07/sociobiology-and-jordan-peterson-lobsters-all-the-way-down/
• https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2018/nov/01/pity-jordan-peterson-lobster-analogy-replace-sense-humour