How Napoleon and Churchill Used Neuroscience to Make a Better Soldier and More Loyal Public

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.2 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 9 December 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The brain acts in strange ways during wartime. Even in active combat situations, when soldiers are one mistake away from death, many can’t fire on their enemies because their brain is triggering compassion centers against other soldiers. Studies of World War II show that while soldiers were willing to risk death, only 15% to 20% fired their weapons in intense combat, indicating a reluctance to kill. That’s why successful military leaders were able to motivate their soldiers with ideas of unfairness and justice, that their enemies weren’t human to make them better at fighting and killing.

All this goes to show that if you want to understand war, you have to understand how the brain makes sense of it. Does war make all of us retreat to our lizard brain and act on pure instinct – so the only way to win is pumping out manipulative propaganda to the masses and use modern technologies like AI and social media exploit the brain's cognitive vulnerabilities? Well, many nations like Russia and China are already using these to their advantage.

Or can we bring higher thinking to the matter? Is a researcher like Robert Sapolsky right when he argues that we can stop wars by persuading enough people that it is bad and pointless.

Today’s guest is Nicholas Wright, author of “Warhead: How the Brain Shapes War and War Shapes the Brain.” He’s a neuroscientist and advisor to the Pentagon. We explore how our brains respond under pressure and how these instincts can shape everything from battlefield outcomes to boardroom decisions. He argues that while conflict is inevitable, it’s not unmanageable - if we understand how the brain drives fear, trust, aggression, and judgment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The holidays are here, and so is the perfect way to bless your loved ones.
0:05.2	The Crosswalk holiday gift guide has something for everyone on your list.
0:09.2	The team at Crosswalk has handpicked the best devotionals, picture books, middle grade fiction,
0:13.8	and adult fiction, so that you can spend less time buying and more time giving to those
0:18.3	who love most.
0:19.5	So step these stories into your stockings and celebrate the wonder of reading this Christmas.
0:24.8	On our gift guide, visit crosswalk.com forward slash gift guide today.
0:35.4	Sky here with another episode of the History Unplug podcast.
0:38.3	The brain acts in strange ways during wartime.
0:41.3	Even in active combat situations, when soldiers are one mistake away from death, many can't fire on their enemies because the compassion centers of their brain are being triggered against other soldiers, whom they still see as fellow humans.
0:53.3	Studies of World War II showed that while soldiers were willing to risk death in combat, only 50% of the triggered against other soldiers, whom they still see as fellow humans.
0:57.5	Studies of World War II show that while soldiers were willing to risk death in combat,
1:02.0	only 15 to 20 percent fire their weapons in these situations because of reluctance to kill.
1:06.5	That's why successful military leaders were able to motivate their soldiers with ideas of unfairness and dehumanizing their enemies, making it easier to fight and kill.
1:10.8	All this goes to show that if you want to understand war, you have to understand how the brain makes sense of it.
1:15.0	Does war make all of us retreat into our lizard brain, our limbic system, and act on pure instinct?
1:20.1	So that the only way to win is pumping out manipulative propaganda to the masses and use modern technologies like AI and social media to exploit our brain's cognitive vulnerabilities,
1:28.9	while many nations are already using this strategy like China and Russia, their advantage.
1:32.9	Or is it possible to bring higher thinking to the matter?
1:35.9	Is a researcher like Robert Sapolsky write when he argues that we can stop wars by persuading enough people that it's bad and appeal to pure logic?
1:43.6	Today's guest is Nicholas Wright, author of Warhead,
1:46.4	how the brain shapes war and war shapes the brain.
	...

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