Just the other day, I started reading a new book.
Six hours later, I finished it, put it down, and said to myself: “I must tell my readers about this.”
And so, here I am, telling you about the new book “The Dark Lever,” written by Akira Anzai.
Now, in case you don’t know him, Akira Anzai is a kindred spirit to me. Like me, he teaches people to use psychology to solve the deepest problems of modern human life.
There’s one difference between us, though. I teach dating, showing men how to form and lead strong relationships with their women.
Meanwhile, Akira teaches social power. That is, he teaches people how to have power over other people, making them do, say, think, and believe what they want.
And to that end, he uses an intriguing tagline that sums up his book, Dark Lever–
Indoctrination, not persuasion.
So, here’s what Dark Lever is all about…
Akira explains that most books on social power are a rehash of one book. That would be Influence: The Science of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini.
In his book, Cialdini suggests persuading people using tricks like:
- Likability (or, being friendly and likeable)
- Reciprocity (or, bribing in return for a favor)
- Authority (or, showing them who’s boss)
- Social Proof (or, appearing popular)
- Commitment (or, making them sign formal documents), and
- Scarcity (or, threatening to take things away if they don’t comply).
Akira contends that Dr. Cialdini’s teachings are useful, but they all share one weakness–
These tricks appeal to people’s conscious minds, which they can easily guard against.
For instance, we’ve since learned to be wary of friendly people or those who offer bribes.
Likewise, we’re skeptical of bossy or popular individuals. I mean, when you see those Tik Tok influencers, do they look trustworthy in any way?
No, right?
And lastly, we have so many options these days that we can easily turn down signed commitments. And threats? They mean nothing to us when we can just as well walk away, yes?
That’s where Dark Lever comes in.
Dr. Cialdini’s levers are overt and politically correct. Meanwhile, the Dark Lever is covert and holds no regard to social conventions.
It’s all about the ruthless exploitation of the flaws of the human mind.
Sounds familiar, right? I mean, if you’re a Shogun Method practitioner like me, this feels right at home.
Like Shogun Method, the Dark Lever is amoral. Your results define the morality of your actions.
And his book is for men who want the type of social power that tyrants, warlords, and tycoons have. Only without the evil that comes with it, of course.
To give you an idea of how the Dark Lever works, let me discuss some of its methods.
First, I’d like to talk about Akira’s REEL Method.
“REEL” stands for Recon, Engage, and Lever.
Akira suggests starting with Recon, which is where you find your target’s weakness. He then gives a brilliant framework for doing just that based on your target’s current life stage.
For instance, if your target is a young adult, their weakness is their insecurity…
…or, if they’re an authority figure, their weak spot is their need for validation…
…or, if they’re of the older age, then their soft spot is their desire for the acknowledgement of their experience.
Once you have your target’s weakness, you can move on to the Engage stage. Here, you can exploit their weak spots with many insidious techniques.
For example, there’s Contextual Flattery–a devious way to flatter someone without arousing their suspicions…
There’s also Value Elicitation, where you find your target’s values and validate them. This is a powerful way of making them reveal their deepest desires and secrets.
And there’s also the familiar Barnum Statements. These are cold reads that build instant rapport when you get them right. If you know Shogun Method, you already know what these are.
All these techniques lead to the final stage, Lever. Here, you leverage the target’s trust to get what you want.
Akira says you can do this in four ways.
First, by making a direct accusation and then retracting it. For instance, you can say: “You’re no longer cheating on your her, I’m sure?” This is best used when the target’s weak spot involves an indiscretion or crime.
Second, you can be ambiguous. Using the previous example, you can say: “Well, some men cheat on their wives, but who’s got to know, right?”
Third, you can inject dread into your target’s mind. You can say: “If your wife finds out, what will she do?”
And fourth, you can assert indirect authority. You can tell your target: “I won’t tell anyone… if you do me something in return.”
I gotta warn you, though… if you’re not careful, then it’ll appear as if you’re blackmailing your target. Blackmailing is not the point here. With the Dark Lever, there’s no need to use underhanded tricks at all.
Not only that, you’ll also notice how the Dark Lever overlaps with my own material. No surprises there, because after all, winning in life boils down to how we shape how others think and feel. It’s all about human psychology, right?
So, that’s why I heartily recommend this book to all my friends. Because let’s face it, original material on this topic is quite rare these days. It’s not just another ripoff of Robert Cialdini’s book.
Now, you might wonder:
“But Fredo, why exactly is Dark Lever so important? Can’t I get by with just basic, overt, Cialdini-style persuasion?”
Akira Anzai deftly answered this question with lessons from powerful men in the past.
For instance, the Roman Emperor Hadrian brought about 200 years of peace in Rome. He said: “Peace through strength or, failing that, peace through threat.”
He made his enemies think twice before attacking the Roman empire, because they knew he would strike back.
300 years later, the Roman general Vegetius coined the phrase, “Si vis pacem, para bellum.” And it means: “If you want peace, prepare for war.”
Fast forward to the 1930s, US President Theodore Roosevelt said–
“Speak softly and carry a big stick.”
All these quotes should remind you of the harsh reality. The social world is a war zone, with invisible clashes of power happening every moment.
Because the bottom line is this. The less social power you have, the more other people will control what you say, think, and do.
And that’s why I strongly recommend anyone to read the book, the Dark Lever by Akira Anzai.
All-in-all, it’s one of the most insightful and inspiring books I’ve ever read. And any man who wants to win not just in relationships, but in all areas of life, should read it.
Not only that, at the time of this article, the book is free. All you need to do is to pass a simple test and the book is yours. This might change later, though, so, go get it while you can.
To get a copy or learn more about Dark Lever, go to DarkLever.com