Driving back from a Rotary breakfast this morning I heard NPR’s Morning Edition announcer speak of the power of power to alter moods. Listen here to what I heard about power’s ability to make people drunk. 
As NPR put it…”Various new studies indicate the phrase "drunk with power" is accurate. Social scientists at Stanford and U.C. Berkeley show power can act like alcohol to lower inhibitions. We're not sure if it was power or alcohol that caused Mel Gibson to insist he "owned Malibu" when pulled over by police. The research also shows power boosts both adrenaline and serotonin levels. Maybe that's why Henry Kissinger called it "the ultimate aphrodisiac."
What have you noticed about power?
On my way home, I stopped at Starbucks for a latte and a New York Times, where I read a story by Pankaja Mishra, titled … “Gaining Power, Losing Values.” A different take on the drunk theme, yet with the same sense of power's rechlessness - the author claimed that “India, like China, is putting growth ahead of morality.” Two stories of power's power - all in one hour.... Is it a coincidence?
Seems interesting to me that within one hour this morning two very different sources cautioned about power’s effect in the brain and in leadership. What do you think?
Hi Ellen, another subject many can probably relate to. In work situations over the years I have noticed this. When someone is in a position of authority over another person, some people feel free to speak to the person in a way that they would never speak to someone on the same "level" or higher. At times, when on the lower, receiving end, I have seen a sort of elation or relief on the face of the person in power. I just read a quote by Bernard Shaw that says that we should treat all persons as if we are in heaven, where there is no third class carriage and all souls have the same value. I like that quote and I'll remember not to get drunk on any power I might acquire. The real power is in self-discipline anyway, no matter how much power others perceive you to have.
Happy Thanksgiving, Linda
Posted by: linda zdanowicz | November 22, 2006 7:34 PM | Permalink to Comment