Author: Nicholas Wright
_Nicholas Wright_
Reading time: 15 minutes
Synopsis
Warhead (2025) looks at war using brain science. When we study the brain, we can understand better why people fight. We can also learn how people act in a fight. And we can see if war will always happen.
What’s in it for me? Why we fight.
When Nicholas Wright told his friends he was writing a book about war, they laughed. “War?” they said. “People don’t go to war anymore!” They thought any war would be small.
Just a few months later, in early 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. This started the biggest war in Europe since World War II.
Wright is a brain scientist who advises the Pentagon. He says our human nature means war can always happen. Throughout history, people have always fought. This probably won’t change soon.
That’s why it’s so important to understand ourselves better. We need to look at our brains. This helps us learn how and why humans fight. What happens in our brains when we feel danger?
The human brain is very complex. But we will look at some basic ideas. We will focus on the lower parts of the brain. These parts control our natural feelings and our need to stay alive.
Wright believes that knowing yourself makes you strong. So, let’s get to know ourselves. Let’s understand our natural urge to fight or defend ourselves.
Blink 1 – Models and prediction errors
Before we start our look at the brain, we need to understand an important idea: the model.
All living things, not only humans, use models. Simply put, a model shows how what we sense connects to what we do. This helps a living thing reach its goals and stay alive. For instance, a bird has a model. It knows where to find bugs to eat. This helps it find food.
Human brains also use models to understand information and send orders. This happens in the lowest part of the brain: the brainstem.
The lowest part of the brainstem is called the medulla. If the medulla dies, you die. That’s because it’s in charge of keeping us alive. It sends messages to control breathing and heart rate. It uses models to keep us alive.
The brainstem also helps us react in different ways to situations. Pain, for example. Being able to feel pain is important. Again, it helps us stay alive. But there are some times when it’s good to feel less pain. During World War II, for instance, many hurt soldiers said they didn’t feel pain. Their brains could change how they reacted. This protected them from pain when it was useful.
Higher up in the brainstem is a group of cells. These cells make an important chemical called dopamine. People often think dopamine is a “happy” chemical. It makes us feel good. It is like a reward. This is partly true. But as we look at another part of the brain, we’ll see that the full story is a bit more complex.
As we said earlier, our brains use models to understand information and send orders. When they do this, they also guess what information they will get. Sometimes, these guesses are wrong. When these guesses are wrong, the brain uses these ‘errors.’ It changes its models. This means it learns.
How does this connect to dopamine? Well, wrong guesses change our dopamine. This greatly affects how we feel and what we do. Let’s look at another example to understand this when we talk about war.
During World War I, the German air attacks on London were quite small attacks. However, they were a total surprise. This caused a ‘prediction error.’ It had a very bad mental effect. When London was bombed again, during World War II, people knew they might happen. The attacks were “expected” to some degree. So even though they caused much damage, they were less harmful to people’s minds.
Another example of a prediction error can be seen in France’s reaction to the German Blitzkrieg, or “lightning war,” in 1940. The German attack was very sudden. It used tanks, soldiers from the air, and special groups. This was a complete surprise. The French army was not ready. They gave up fast. There are reports of army leaders in tears, very upset and broken mentally.
According to the historian Ernest May, “Germany won so quickly and easily because of the surprise attack.” From the brain’s point of view, the French army lost because of a prediction error.
Blink 2 – Vital drives
Now that we’ve learned about the brainstem – how it uses models and prediction errors, and how it controls how we react – it’s time to move up to another part of the brain. We need to learn what makes us act.
Just above the brainstem is a small part like an almond: the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus contains groups of cells that control five very important needs. These are thirst, hunger, sleep, warmth, and having children. Let’s look at some of these needs. They are needed for life. And we will see how they are part of war.
Without water, we die. And throughout history, thirst has made people weak in war. During the Peloponnesian War, Athenian soldiers needed water so much. They went into the river. This made them easy targets for the Spartans on the other side. In 1940, during the Blitzkrieg, French soldiers were crazy with thirst as they walked through the woods. More recently, in 2014, Islamic State poisoned drinking water.
People can live longer without food than without water. But when we’re hungry, our brains only think about food. Hungry soldiers think only of food. They also become weaker. They have less energy, and their heart rate slows down.
And like thirst, hunger can be used as a weapon. This can cause great harm. When the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, their plan was the “Hunger Plan.” They aimed to starve people to death on purpose.
Hunger and thirst harm our bodies and our mood. But they don’t affect our thinking as much as not enough sleep. Soldiers who don’t get enough sleep might have ‘micro sleeps.’ They can miss things completely. This can cause big problems in a fight.
So, during battle, it’s very important to manage these needs. War strategy is not only about attacking and defending. It’s also about ‘logistics.’ Logistics means making sure soldiers have food, water, and rest. This helps their brains and bodies work well.
Another important need is the drive to have children. This may not seem linked to war. But actually, in an indirect way, it’s a very strong reason for action. Our brains want us to have children who will also have children. And chemicals in our body make us do this. For example, the hypothalamus makes chemicals like oxytocin. These chemicals create strong feelings between parents and children. Research shows that becoming a parent actually changes the brain.
We are made to care a lot about our family. This makes us more likely to fight to protect them if we need to. Since the beginning of time, families have fought wars to keep their power. Even today, kings and queens still rule. And North Korea is ruled by Kim Jong Un – the third leader from that family. Family connections are very strong.
Now, here’s something else to think about. There are some important exceptions, like the female warrior Boudicca. But wars and violent acts are mostly done by men.
Part of the reason is in the brain. Male and female brains are quite similar. But there are some differences. And one big difference is in the hypothalamus. This part affects how much sex hormones like testosterone are made.
Testosterone changes how men act. It makes them want to be more important than others. And it can make them more angry or violent. Perhaps this partly explains why men mostly start and fight wars.
Blink 3 – Fear and other visceral instincts
Have you ever wondered why people choose to fight, instead of running away? Running away might seem easier. But people often choose to protect themselves. If fighting helps us live, we fight.
Fear is a strong reason for action. In humans, fear is controlled by a brain area called the amygdala. If we didn’t have the amygdala, we wouldn’t feel fear. That might sound good, but it can actually cause danger.
Wright once worked with a woman who had no amygdala. She couldn’t feel fear. This made her very weak to harm. She could not see danger. She was hurt by attacks and violence at home.
Of course, too much fear can also be a problem. It can cause strong worry and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). And in war, fear can make people suddenly do violent things. This happens more if there is long stress, if people don’t know what will happen, or if they feel trapped. A feeling of fear helped cause the big fight between China and Japan in the 1930s.
When things are very serious, we often follow our gut feelings, fear, and other emotions. But it can be good to stay calm and not show feelings.
Like fear, strong feelings must be controlled well. When people lose control, the results can be terrible. This is especially true in war. Soldiers are already under stress, and feelings are very strong.
During the Nanjing Massacre of 1937, Japanese troops killed and harmed tens of thousands of Chinese people. This was not planned. Soldiers were hungry, tired, and very angry. They totally lost control. The results were terrible.
Fear and anger are deep feelings that make us act. Another strong feeling, but less clear, is a social one. It is the dislike of unfairness and injustice. You might think this is about right and wrong. But it’s actually part of our biology. Not liking unfairness is a deep need. It affects how we react.
This has been shown in scientific tests. People in tests refused money or water if they thought it was unfair. And looking at world events, we can also see that people often fight because they feel things are unequal or unfair. Think of the French Revolutionaries’ cry: “Liberté, égalité, fraternité.” Or the protests of the Arab Spring.
Now, let’s take a moment to look at the bigger idea – or part of it, at least. Important needs and feelings are handled in the lower parts of the brain. This includes the brainstem, hypothalamus, and amygdala. These parts work with higher brain areas. One is the prefrontal cortex, the front part of the brain. It helps with more complex thinking.
Many things are happening. And this is just part of the story. But it shows us how much our brains do when we decide very quickly. Like if we should fight or run away.
Blink 4 – The inevitability of war
What if we could all decide together never to fight again? No more war. Is that really possible?
Wright thinks war will always happen. Not for just one reason, but for many. Our brains are largely made for fighting. And unfortunately, there will always be a few people – like Putins and Hitlers – who purposely start wars. Then, other people will have to fight back.
This may seem like a sad idea. But Wright is actually hopeful about the future. By knowing ourselves, and by being smarter about war, we can create a more peaceful world.
Just think of leaders like Churchill and Eisenhower. During World War II, they could see the whole situation. They used not just fighting. They also used teamwork, working with other countries, being kind, and holding back.
After all, there’s more to the brain than just our basic needs and feelings. We have mostly talked about these parts. But let’s remember how complex and many-sided the brain is. For example, the frontal pole. It is at the front of the brain. It helps us think about our own thoughts. This helps us make smarter choices.
So, to sum up – Wright thinks war will always be part of life. In fact, he thinks that during his children’s lifetimes, there is a one in three chance of a huge disaster, like a World War.
But despite this sad prediction, Wright still has hope. The way he sees it, humans can learn a lot about themselves. We can continue to learn more about ourselves. This means why we fight wars, and why we win or lose them.
By using the power of our brains, we can work together to build a better, more peaceful world.
Final summary
In this Blink to Warhead by Nicholas Wright, you’ve learned that different parts of the human brain change how we act, including how we act in war.
The brainstem, for instance, controls basic survival. It creates ‘models’ inside us. These connect what we sense to what we do. This helps us change our reactions when our predictions are wrong. This explains why unexpected attacks, such as early German air raids on London, or the Blitzkrieg in France, had such deep effects on people’s minds.
Above the brainstem, the hypothalamus controls vital needs like thirst, hunger, sleep, warmth, and having children. These basic needs change how well soldiers can fight. And they can be used as weapons. For example, in the past, plans starved soldiers or kept them from water.
The amygdala controls fear. Fear is a main reason why people fight instead of running away. Too much fear or uncontrolled feelings can cause mental collapse or cruelty. Part of the Nanjing Massacre happened because of anger and soldiers losing control.
Wright concludes that war will probably always be part of life. This is because of deep brain needs. Yet he remains hopeful. If we know ourselves and have wise leaders, humans can manage fights better. We can build a more peaceful world.
Okay, that’s it for this Blink. We hope you enjoyed it. If you can, please take the time to leave us a rating – we always appreciate your feedback. See you in the next Blink.
Source: https://www.blinkist.com/https://www.blinkist.com/en/books/warhead-en