From: jimruttshow8596
Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Lawrence Gonzalez is a book that blends autobiography, complexity science, cognitive science, cognitive neuroscience, and astounding true stories of survival and decision-making [00:02:19]. The book explores what allows some individuals to survive extreme events while others perish [00:02:19]. Lawrence Gonzalez has won multiple awards for his writing, including two Magazine Awards and the Montaigne Medal from the Eric Hoffer Society [00:00:55]. His interest in survival was sparked by his father’s miraculous survival of a B-17 bomber crash during World War II, falling 27,000 feet and waking up on the ground inside the cockpit [00:05:41], [00:06:35], [00:07:16].
Core Concepts in Survival
The Importance of “Coolness”
A central theme in Deep Survival is the necessity of remaining calm and “cool” in a crisis [00:15:49]. Emotions are referred to as “hot cognition,” and panicking makes clear thinking very difficult [00:15:52], [00:15:54], [00:16:18]. The relationship between emotion and reason in the brain is like a seesaw: if fear increases, clear thinking decreases [00:16:50], [00:16:53], [00:16:57]. By concentrating on thinking clearly, one can tone down emotion and achieve results [00:17:03].
A historical example is the USS Indianapolis sinking in WWII, where an officer, after being torpedoed in shark-infested waters with 900 men, distributed pieces of his service pistol to five dispirited sailors in a lifeboat, instructing them to clean it [00:17:11], [00:17:42], [00:18:00]. This deliberate, step-by-step, goal-oriented activity helped to bring them out of their stupor and reorganize their thoughts, demonstrating that forcing oneself to engage in rational activity helps maintain “coolness” [00:18:13], [00:18:22], [00:18:42].
Nature vs. Nurture in Survival Skills
Only about 10% to 20% of untrained individuals can remain calm and think clearly during a survival event [00:19:15], [00:19:17]. While some may be naturally calm, these skills can absolutely be trained [00:19:40], [00:19:43]. In high-stress situations, people do not invent new behaviors but fall back on what they have already practiced [00:20:05], [00:20:07].
“A survivor builds up an account of commitment over a lifetime: the more he invests, the more he has when trouble comes.” [00:22:06], [00:22:09], [00:22:12]
This implies a Zen-like approach to life, where consistent practice of desired responses (e.g., calmness in traffic) prepares one for true emergencies [00:21:54], [00:22:00], [00:22:19]. The first trait of survivors is to “perceive and believe” – to acknowledge that the situation is real and happening now, rather than wishing it were different or trying to make it align with past experiences [00:22:46], [00:22:49], [00:23:12].
The Dynamic Role of Emotion and Reason
According to Antonio Damasio, a prominent figure in the mind-brain relationship and consciousness field, the ability to have an emotional response or “gut feeling” is crucial for making cognitive decisions [00:39:29], [00:39:31], [00:39:39], [00:39:41]. While Western thought often views emotion as an impediment to rationality, it actually provides a vital guiding service, preventing overwhelm from too many choices [00:39:53], [00:40:02].
Under stress, it becomes necessary to recruit both emotion and reason [00:40:18]. The “night shift” or unconscious processing constantly takes in information and informs our “gut feelings” [00:40:40], [00:40:44], [00:40:47]. Experienced individuals in high-stakes professions, like wildland firefighters, develop an internalized understanding of cues, allowing them to act on a “bad feeling” even without conscious reasoning [00:42:08], [00:42:11], [00:42:51]. This integration of unconscious processing and rational thought is key to effective action [00:41:21].
However, emotion can also lead to wrong decisions [00:43:52], [00:43:54]. For example, some scuba divers inexplicably remove their masks underwater and drown due to a deep emotional response to suffocation or having their face covered, overriding logical thought [00:43:09], [00:43:20], [00:43:25]. In such high-stress situations, the ability to step back, reassess, and discern when gut feelings are truly helpful is critical [00:44:59].
Humor, Optimism, and Locus of Control
Dark humor is common among those dealing with difficult situations, serving as a coping mechanism to detoxify potentially poisoning experiences that could lead to PTSD [00:32:05], [00:32:08], [00:32:15]. Humor reduces stress, allowing individuals to regain their ability to function [00:32:38], [00:32:42].
Optimism is also a significant factor in survival [00:33:11]. Research on “learned helplessness” by Martin Seligman shows that an optimistic view, even in dire circumstances, can improve immune system function [00:33:02], [00:33:11], [00:33:23].
Furthermore, individuals with an “internal locus of control” view the world as something they can influence and improve, rather than being mere victims of circumstance [00:34:07], [00:34:11], [00:34:15]. This mindset, where “adversity equals opportunity,” is characteristic of good survivors [00:34:21], [00:34:24].
Fatigue and Cognitive Degradation
“Deep fatigue” is more than just being tired; it’s a profound systemic energy deficit that cannot be overcome by simple rest [00:56:53], [00:56:56], [00:56:58], [00:57:00]. It can take a long time to recover from such depletion [00:57:11]. When physically or mentally impaired by factors like hypothermia, dehydration, or fatigue, people’s judgment deteriorates, leading to tunnel vision and poor decision-making [00:53:30], [00:53:32].
In a survival situation, the wise strategy is often to conserve energy by resting frequently and operating at no more than 60% of one’s capacity, as falling into deep fatigue can be lethal [00:59:03], [00:59:06], [00:59:09], [00:59:13].
Motivation for Survival
A recurring observation is that people who survive extreme events often do so by fighting for others, like their family or children [01:03:04], [01:03:06], [01:03:09], [01:03:11]. By helping someone else, a person shifts from being a victim to a rescuer, which provides a crucial sense of control and fosters a positive, optimistic attitude [01:03:34], [01:03:38], [01:03:41], [01:03:51], [01:04:03]. Doctors and nurses, for instance, tend to survive better in critical situations because they are trained to help others [01:04:29], [01:04:31]. This strong emotional drive can unlock “superhuman strength” or hidden reserves of ability [01:05:38], [01:06:11], [01:06:12], [01:06:16].
Challenges and Misconceptions
Training Specificity and Humility
Specialized training, such as that received by an Army Ranger, prepares individuals for specific environments and missions but does not guarantee survival in unfamiliar hazards [00:48:45], [00:48:47], [00:49:01]. The Ranger mindset of complete self-sufficiency and refusing help can be dangerous when external assistance is necessary [00:49:19], [00:49:21], [00:49:30], [00:49:34]. The adage that “Rambo types are the first to go” highlights the importance of humility [00:50:22], [00:50:25]. Regardless of experience or credentials, remaining humble is essential, as unforeseen dangers can always arise [00:50:30], [00:50:33].
Social Pressure and “Normal Accidents”
Peer group pressure can override correct actions [00:28:49], [00:28:51]. In one instance, snowmobilers on a rescue mission, despite warnings about avalanche danger, engaged in “high marking” (racing up hills) due to adrenaline and excitement, triggering an avalanche that killed several [00:29:00], [00:29:05], [00:29:11], [00:29:42], [00:29:56]. This illustrates how emotion can be an “irresistible quality” that undermines rational decision-making [00:30:00]. The stronger the social impulse, the more one risks losing group status by not conforming, a powerful deterrent for social creatures like humans [00:30:36], [00:30:41], [00:30:48].
Charles Perrault’s concept of “normal accidents” suggests that certain complex systems (e.g., nuclear power plants, airlines) are inherently prone to accidents due to their design [01:06:29], [01:06:32], [01:06:35], [01:07:04]. Accidents follow a power-law distribution, with many small mishaps and occasional massive ones [01:07:18]. Adding technical fixes can sometimes increase system complexity and lead to more failures [01:07:36], [01:07:40], [01:07:42]. This concept applies to social and biological systems, such as pandemics, which are “normal functioning” within a globally interconnected human interaction scheme [01:08:16], [01:08:20], [01:08:24].
Dangers of Unpreparedness and Overconfidence
People living in an “American hammock of abundance” often take for granted the ease of modern life, becoming accustomed to constant rewards without significant effort [01:12:05], [01:12:08], [01:12:12]. This attitude can be dangerous when taken into the wilderness, which does not “reward” and instead tests individuals on the “same terms as we were on a hundred thousand years ago” [01:12:53], [01:12:57]. Nature does not adjust to one’s skill level [01:11:55], [01:11:58].
The psychology of being lost is complex [01:16:56]. When lost, individuals are “out of the group,” which is a dire emergency for social creatures dependent on their environment for food, water, and safety [01:18:56], [01:18:58], [01:19:04]. Interestingly, in developmental perspectives in cognitive neuroscience, very young children (e.g., 3-year-olds) often survive better when lost than teenagers [01:20:25], [01:20:28]. Young children do not panic because they lack a developed sense of being “lost” and instinctively do natural survival behaviors like finding shelter or water [01:20:43], [01:21:03], [01:21:05]. Teenagers, however, realize they are lost, panic, and often run themselves to death, sometimes passing right by civilization without noticing [01:21:14], [01:21:17], [01:21:22], [01:21:27], [01:21:43], [01:21:45].
Practical Application and Training
The Value of Survival Training
Survival training is highly encouraged for its mental advantages [01:27:42], [01:27:44]. Beyond practical skills like fire-making without conventional tools (using a bow drill, for example) [01:25:10], [01:25:13], [01:25:16], and shelter building [01:28:38], it instills a “positive mental attitude” [01:22:53], which is at the core of survival [01:23:06]. This includes humor, optimism, and being “cool” [01:23:38]. The discipline and problem-solving involved in primitive survival (e.g., breaking a rock for a knife, making rope from bark) foster resilience and mental strength [01:25:20], [01:25:22], [01:25:23], [01:25:26], [01:25:29], [01:25:32], [01:25:35]. It teaches people to function effectively even when lacking conventional tools and to constantly assess their environment [01:26:21], [01:26:33], [01:26:35], [01:26:39].
Surviving Survival: The Aftermath of Trauma
Lawrence Gonzalez’s subsequent book, Surviving Survival, explores the idea that once rescued, the event is not truly “over” [01:30:15], [01:30:19], [01:30:32]. Surviving an extreme event is itself a traumatic experience that requires a new journey of reinventing one’s life [01:30:55], [01:30:57], [01:30:59], [01:31:03], [01:31:06]. People often change their lives entirely, as they may suffer from PTSD, anxiety, and difficulties in daily life [01:31:19], [01:31:47], [01:31:49], [01:31:52]. Surviving Survival acts as a guide to resilience and surviving traumatic events, helping individuals figure out their “new life” after such profound experiences [01:31:36], [01:31:57], [01:32:01].