5 lessons to learn from Ramayana: A behavioral perspective

We can see that India is all dolled up with the beginning of its most celebrated season of the year. The fall brings to us a plethora of festivals starting from Sharad Navaratri and ending with Deepavali. Hands down, my favorite time of the year. As a child, I used to like it for all the holidays we used to get from school but now, I am a sucker for the amazing vibes during this time. India is LIT right now with the people coming together to devote, worship, and celebrate as a community igniting a sense of belongingness within us.

Navaratri, which translates into ‘nine nights’ embarks upon the commemoration of the divine feminine which is reflected by the shakti (power) of Goddess Durga. These nine days are then followed by Dussehra being celebrated on the tenth day all around the country. According to the legendary tale of Ramayana, Vishnu avatar Rama, a rightful heir after Raja Dashratha was sent to exile for 14 years. His wife, Sita, and brother, Laxman followed him in his journey in the forest. At the near end of their 14-year long exile, a demon king Ravana kidnapped Lord Rama’s wife, Sita captivated by her beauty. Lord Rama then built a vaanar army to fight the battle against Ravana. The significance of Dussehra lies in the triumph of Lord Rama over the ten evil faces of the human demon, Ravana. Here in India, we celebrate Dussehra every year recalling this ancient tale to remember that the good will always supersede the evil in life.

Source: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/593841900854392474/

I know that we all have heard this tale from our grandmothers since childhood and there is no lying when I say this, the whole story is nail-biting. Each of the characters is unique but you know what the exciting part is, the characters are relatable on so many levels that we can find some of Rama and Ravana within us. Not just the two major characters but there are a lot of Hanumana, Sita, Kaikeyi, Dashrataha, Laxmana, and Bharata living with us.

I was re-watching Ramayana the other day and realized that we, humans are all the same but also different at the same time. I can never understand the irony but it’s true. Predicting humans is grinding and subjective but also one of the most fascinating things to do. So here I am with my little attempt of finding a connection between the ancient tale of Ramayana and my newfound love, behavioral science. I have listed out 5 lessons that we need to learn from Ramayana taking references from behavioral principles.

1. Overconfidence ruins it all: Overconfidence is a bias in which we tend to overestimate our abilities while forming a misleading judgment about our skills and talent. Ravana is a perfect example of overconfidence proving fatal for you. Ravana’s pride and ego made him believe that he is indestructible and immortal. It was his arrogance that made him believe that he can win over Sita and the same arrogance invigorated his death. Overconfidence can tamper with your critical thinking often leading you towards making reckless decisions.
2. Altruism can take you places: Altruism is the act of promoting other people’s welfare even at the cost of oneself. Such a philanthropic attitude is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. Lord Hanumana demonstrated truly altruistic behavior and devoted his whole life to serving Lord Rama and Sita. This selfless behavior of Hanumana made him one of the most loved characters in Ramayana. Even today, Hanumana is worshipped ardently in the Hindu religion.
3. Illusion of Control is real: Illusion of Control is a very popular bias that says that we like to believe that we have control over unforeseen events and we can sway negative outcomes. In Ramayana, King Dashratha’s wife Kaikeyi wanted her son to become the king after her husband and plotted a conspiracy against Kausalya’s son, Rama. Kaikeyi’s son, Bharata didn’t accept this deception and never agreed to become the king as it was his elder brother’s position. Kaikeyi’s illusion of control was real and we also often find ourselves trapped in such delusion in life.
4. Framing can, at times harm you: According to the framing effect, our choices can be influenced depending on the way information is presented to us. The framing of words, settings, and situations plays a significant role in our decision-making process. The devil, Ravana impersonated a monk asking for food during his first encounter with Sita. Sita was being framed here and she ended up getting kidnapped by him. Only if Ravana had come in his original form, Sita would have never even gone near him. Thus, framing can largely influence our choices and can sometimes have detrimental effects.
5. The Peak-End is all that matters: The Peak-End rule talks about how we are only concerned with the peak (the most intense moment) and the end of an event. We remember past events based on how we felt at its peak and how it eventually ended rather than looking into the average of all the moments during that event. This rule is quite evident here as we remember Ramayana as a narrative where Ravana was defeated by Rama or the victory of good over evil. Despite all the negative events that happened, it is still a holy and monumental story in our mythology. You know what they say, all is well that ends well.

All the 5 things that I have listed above are not new, it’s just we are so occupied with trivial things in life that we don’t pay much attention to them. My point here is, these things hold a great deal of value in our lives and offer plenty of lessons to learn. Ramayana is not just a story but a guide towards leading a better and more fulfilling life. So it is up to us how well we absorb such wisdom in this journey of life. Cheers to learning and a Happy Dussehra to all!