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The Secret of Our Success

How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter

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The Secret of Our Success

By: Joseph Henrich
Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
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About this listen

Humans are a puzzling species. On the one hand, we struggle to survive on our own in the wild, often failing to overcome even basic challenges, like obtaining food, building shelters, or avoiding predators. On the other hand, human groups have produced ingenious technologies, sophisticated languages, and complex institutions that have permitted us to successfully expand into a vast range of diverse environments.

What has enabled us to dominate the globe, more than any other species, while remaining virtually helpless as lone individuals? This book shows that the secret of our success lies not in our innate intelligence, but in our collective brains - on the ability of human groups to socially interconnect and learn from one another over generations.

Drawing insights from lost European explorers, clever chimpanzees, mobile hunter-gatherers, neuroscientific findings, ancient bones, and the human genome, Joseph Henrich demonstrates how our collective brains have propelled our species' genetic evolution and shaped our biology.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2015 Princeton University Press (P)2018 Tantor Anthropology Biological Sciences Biology Evolution Evolution & Genetics Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science Social Psychology & Interactions Social Sciences Sociology Africa Human Brain Social justice Success Humans
All stars
Most relevant
very good book and the narration as well. This is a must read for understanding human cultural evolution

recommended reading for cultural evolution

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The story was overly long winded and the narrator’s voice was really annoying. It could have been more simply told. A very broad topic I was beginning to understand but overall comprehension and recall was elusive.

Interesting but confusingly told

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It's frustrating not having the names of the chapters. I bought this audible because I am currently studying this topic so I like to go back and forth with the content

Needs chapter names

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