Evolution Psychology

“Full of fascinating insights drawn from an impressive range of disciplines, The Ascent of Information casts the familiar and the foreign in a dramatic new light.” —Brian Greene, author of The Elegant Universe Your information has a life of its own, and it’s using you to get what it...

Drawing on startling new evidence from the mapping of the genome, an explosive new account of the genetic basis of race and its role in the human story Fewer ideas have been more toxic or harmful than the idea of the biological reality of race, and with it the idea that humans of...

In the thought-provoking tradition of Steven Pinker’s Enlightenment Now and Yuval Noah Harari’s Homo Deus, a fascinating and reassuring look at the philosophy, psychology, and practice of optimism, and why being optimistic is a moral obligation—even in the face of seemingly insurmountable...

Did you know that about 10,000 years ago humans went through a radical change in lifestyle in what is now called the Agricultural Revolution? While this event propelled humans out of the stone age and into civilization it also ultimately catapulted us into our current way of life and into the chronic disease epidemic we have today. Western medicine sees our epidemic of disease as a problem that needs to be suppressed, but our chronic disease epidemic is really a symptom.

With stories that entertain as much as they inform, renowned evolutionist David Sloan Wilson outlines the basic principles of evolution and shows how, when properly understood, they can illuminate the length and breadth of creation, from the origin of life to the nature of religion. What is...

You've probably seen it before: a human brain dramatically lit from the side, the camera circling it like a helicopter shot of Stonehenge, and a modulated baritone voice exalting the brain's elegant design in reverent tones... to which this book says: Pure nonsense.

From one of America’s best-known biologists, a revolutionary new way of thinking about evolution that shows “why, in light of our origins, humans are still special” (Edward J. Larson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Evolution). Once we had a special place in the hierarchy of life on...

Our Political Nature is the first book to reveal the hidden roots of our most deeply held moral values. It shows how political orientations across space and time arise from three clusters of measurable personality traits. These clusters entail opposing attitudes toward tribalism, inequality, and differing perceptions of human nature. Together, these traits are by far the most powerful cause of left-right voting, even leading people to regularly vote against their economic interests.

In The Science of Good and Evil, psychologist and science historian Michael Shermer explores how humans evolved from social primates into moral primates, how and why morality motivates the human animal, and how the foundation of moral principles can be built upon empirical evidence. Along the way he explains the implications of scientific findings for fate and free will, the existence of pure good and pure evil, and the development of early moral sentiments among the first humans.

In A Story of Us, they present this rich narrative and explain how the evolution of our genes relates to the evolution of our cultures. Newson and Richerson take listeners through seven stages of human evolution, beginning seven million years ago with the apes that were the ancestors of humans and today's chimps and bonobos. The story ends in the present day and offers a glimpse into the future.

An unforgettable account of into the mass suicide of the followers of the Rev. Jim Jones in the jungles of Guyana—an overlooked masterpiece of modern reportage. First published in 1980, Journey to Nowhere: A New World Tragedy is Shiva Naipaul’s deeply unsettling investigation into the forces...

Longlisted for the 2023 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award A lively exploration of animal behavior in all its glorious complexity, whether in tiny wasps, lumbering elephants, or ourselves. For centuries, people have been returning to the same tired nature-versus-nurture debate...

Nearly every depressed person is assured by doctors, well-meaning friends and family, the media, and ubiquitous advertisements that the underlying problem is a chemical imbalance. Such a simple defect should be fixable, yet despite all of the resources that have been devoted to finding a pharmacological solution, depression remains stubbornly widespread. Why are we losing this fight?

From the former editor of Slate and CEO of Atlas Obscura comes the unbelievable story of “the Nobel Prize sperm bank” and the children it produced—“a superb book about the quest for genius and, ultimately, family” (Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Talking to...

Snoffle the squirrel is very, very, very silly. She can't take anything seriously. But one day, an incident in Foggy Forest makes her feel very serious indeed. What happens and what does Snoffle learn. Listen to find out...

A groundbreaking look at the science of attachment and compatibility, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about love and attraction and revealing the real keys to lasting connection and deeper relationships. Modern media and culture have taught you a vast array of inaccurate ideas about...

One of our great decoders of human connection chronicles the astonishing rise of new rituals around the world—and offers a road map for restoring togetherness with gatherings you’ll love Since time immemorial, humans have turned to ritual to connect us in periods of change. Until today...

Neurologist and neuroscientist Dr Paul Goldsmith reveals compassionate, practical insights on the evolutionary origins of our brain and how we can best use it to thrive in our daily lives. ----- 'A fascinating exploration of how our ancient brains are mismatched for our modern ecosystem, and...

A captivating exploration of the remarkable ways our DNA mutates over the course of our lives, with radical implications for the future of medicine Our DNA is the indispensable set of instructions that guides our growth and vitality. The common misconception is that this molecular blueprint...

With two out of every 100 newborns in the United States now being test-tube babies, it raises a thought-provoking question: have we, in some way, always been "test-tube babies" from the beginning? From the helpless cries of an infant to the dominance of Earth's most powerful, humanity has embarked on an extraordinary journey—an epic odyssey across time and space. Our ascent on this Blue Planet is not merely a story of survival but a profound evolution and genesis, both real and symbolic. It's a rise that is as rapid as it is awe-inspiring.