Talk to the Elephant

Jonathan Haidt, in his book The Happiness Hypothesis, talks about the brain being like a rider and an elephant:

The rider is ... conscious, controlled thought. The elephant, in contrast, is everything else. The elephant includes the gut feelings, visceral reactions, emotions, and intuitions that comprise much of the automatic system.

Basically, he is talking about the idea that there are two separate parts of your brain that are in control—the conscious verbal thinking brain and the automatic, emotional, visceral brain.

The Rider

The rider part of your brain is the rational, Mr. Spock, control-your-impulses, plan-for-the-future brain. Your rider tells you all sorts of useful things that you know will provide long-term benefit.