The Social Instinct

A well informed, pithy, provocative overview of the evidence that cooperation is the key to success - for microbes and animals as well as for humans. -- Tim Clutton-Brock, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Cambridge If you've ever wondered why people aren't as cooperative as they ought to be, you'll find the answer right here - mapped out in detail that is full of surprises at every page-turn. -- Robin Dunbar, Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Psychology, University of Oxford This is a glorious book, with an insight on every page. Above all it taught me that while our individual bodies and brains might reward comparison with our primate relatives, in understanding our social relations we would be much better off comparing the meerkat. And the naked mole-rat. And the bower bird. And the cleaner-fish. -- Rory Sutherland, author of Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas that Don't Make Sense In this captivating book, Nichola Raihani ... provides a compelling argument that cooperation is the secret of human success and yet has never been as crucial as it is now, during a global pandemic and with the threat of the climate crisis. I found this intriguing and beautifully written book hard to put down. -- Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, author of Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain Vibrant science about a topic that could not be more important: How did our superpower of cooperation evolve against the odds? This engaging book wears its strong scientific credentials lightly. I could not put it down. -- Uta Frith, Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Development, University College London