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Hivemind: The New Science of Tribalism in Our Divided World
At the crossroads between The Shallows and Presence, Hivemind is a provocative look at how communities can sync up around shared ideas, and how this hive mentality is contributing to today's polarized times.
Hivemind: A collective consciousness in which we share consensus thoughts, emotions, and opinions; a phenomenon whereby a group of people function as if with a single mind.
Our views of the world are shaped by the stories told by our self-selected communities. Whether seeking out groups that share our tastes, our faith, our heritage, or other interests, since the dawn of time we have taken comfort in defining ourselves through our social groups. But what happens when we only socialize with our chosen group, to the point that we lose the ability to connect to people who don't share our passions? What happens when our tribes merely confirm our world view, rather than expand it?
We have always been a remarkably social species-our moods, ideas, and even our perceptions of reality synchronize without our conscious awareness. The advent of social media and smartphones has amplified these tendencies in ways that spell both promise and peril. Our hiveish natures benefit us in countless ways-combatting the mental and physical costs of loneliness, connecting us with collaborators and supporters, and exposing us to entertainment and information beyond what we can find in our literal backyards. But of course, there are also looming risks-echo chambers, political polarization, and conspiracy theories that have already begun to have deadly consequences.
Leading a narrative journey from the site of the Charlottesville riots to the boardrooms of Facebook, considering such diverse topics as zombies, neuroscience, and honeybees, psychologist and emotion regulation specialist Sarah Rose Cavanagh leaves no stone unturned in her quest to understand how social technology is reshaping the way we socialize. It's not possible to turn back the clocks, and Cavanagh argues that there's no need to; instead, she presents a fully examined and thoughtful call to cut through our online tribalism, dial back our moral panic about screens and mental health, and shore up our sense of community.
With compelling storytelling and shocking research, Hivemind is a must-read for anyone hoping to make sense of the dissonance around us.
Hivemind: A collective consciousness in which we share consensus thoughts, emotions, and opinions; a phenomenon whereby a group of people function as if with a single mind.
Our views of the world are shaped by the stories told by our self-selected communities. Whether seeking out groups that share our tastes, our faith, our heritage, or other interests, since the dawn of time we have taken comfort in defining ourselves through our social groups. But what happens when we only socialize with our chosen group, to the point that we lose the ability to connect to people who don't share our passions? What happens when our tribes merely confirm our world view, rather than expand it?
We have always been a remarkably social species-our moods, ideas, and even our perceptions of reality synchronize without our conscious awareness. The advent of social media and smartphones has amplified these tendencies in ways that spell both promise and peril. Our hiveish natures benefit us in countless ways-combatting the mental and physical costs of loneliness, connecting us with collaborators and supporters, and exposing us to entertainment and information beyond what we can find in our literal backyards. But of course, there are also looming risks-echo chambers, political polarization, and conspiracy theories that have already begun to have deadly consequences.
Leading a narrative journey from the site of the Charlottesville riots to the boardrooms of Facebook, considering such diverse topics as zombies, neuroscience, and honeybees, psychologist and emotion regulation specialist Sarah Rose Cavanagh leaves no stone unturned in her quest to understand how social technology is reshaping the way we socialize. It's not possible to turn back the clocks, and Cavanagh argues that there's no need to; instead, she presents a fully examined and thoughtful call to cut through our online tribalism, dial back our moral panic about screens and mental health, and shore up our sense of community.
With compelling storytelling and shocking research, Hivemind is a must-read for anyone hoping to make sense of the dissonance around us.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published September 3, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
May 16, 2022
2nd read:
When I had the internet come after me in 2019 and had thousands of strangers attacking me and threatening my family, I wanted to understand what was going on. I started reading every book I could about group psychology and tribalism, and fortunately, this book from Sarah came out later that year. I loved it when I first read it and decided to give it another read because since surviving that experience, I still see tribalism everywhere, so I wanted to see what the book was like looking at it through a new lens. I can definitely say that this book is just as good, if not better, than the first time I read it.
Sarah Rose Cavanaugh does an incredible job building upon various topics to give you a full scope of why we’re so groups. She discusses biology, evolutionary psychology, and much more. I love the various studies she covers and how she challenges some conventional wisdom about tribalism to give a fresh perspective. I’ve read dozens of books on this topic since 2019, and this book is still unique, which is great because a lot of books repeat the same studies and information. If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, this book is absolutely worth the read, and I can’t wait for Sarah’s next book.
1st read:
I can not recommend this book enough. I’ve been really loving books on social psychology and why we behave differently in groups, and this was the best book I’ve read so far. The author spent years researching this subject, and it shows.
When I had the internet come after me in 2019 and had thousands of strangers attacking me and threatening my family, I wanted to understand what was going on. I started reading every book I could about group psychology and tribalism, and fortunately, this book from Sarah came out later that year. I loved it when I first read it and decided to give it another read because since surviving that experience, I still see tribalism everywhere, so I wanted to see what the book was like looking at it through a new lens. I can definitely say that this book is just as good, if not better, than the first time I read it.
Sarah Rose Cavanaugh does an incredible job building upon various topics to give you a full scope of why we’re so groups. She discusses biology, evolutionary psychology, and much more. I love the various studies she covers and how she challenges some conventional wisdom about tribalism to give a fresh perspective. I’ve read dozens of books on this topic since 2019, and this book is still unique, which is great because a lot of books repeat the same studies and information. If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, this book is absolutely worth the read, and I can’t wait for Sarah’s next book.
1st read:
I can not recommend this book enough. I’ve been really loving books on social psychology and why we behave differently in groups, and this was the best book I’ve read so far. The author spent years researching this subject, and it shows.
October 28, 2019
interesting information, unfortunately i've already read about most of it elsewhere. it's a good book if you are looking for a reference aggregator.
September 22, 2019
There's so much here. It really is a book for our times. Sticks with you after you stop reading, which for me, is the mark of a great book.
May 9, 2020
If you're looking for the shortest and most wide ranging "what happened" book, I recommend Sara Rose Cavanagh's Hivemind: The New Science of Tribalism in our Divided World. She reaches out to Jonathan Haidt and to evolutionary biologists, not to mention a variety of other psychologists. Durkheim and Rand both appear. I found myself thinking at one point "this is basically Will Storr's Selfie but Cavanagh is leaning into our collective sense of self rather than our obsession with our individual self." A few chapters later, she mentioned Will Storr's Selfie--and in almost the exact same way. My favorite thing about Hivemind is that it's transparently written to reveal her own "hivemind." All of cultural and social connections that make Cavanagh who she is appear here, including but not limited to references to The Bone Clocks, articles from The Atlantic, and Dancing in the Streets. She also mentions The Vohhr and Oryx and Crake--if it fits, it sits, or at least it does in Hivemind, which is constructed as a metaphor for our own complicated sense of self. But my least favorite thing about Hivemind is also that it's so transparently written. The evolutionary biologist Cavanagh interviews, we learn in detail, is actually a friend she made comparing theories about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I also felt I'd already read most of Hivemind's bibliography but that I would still recommend reading Righteous Mind, Selfie, and the rest even if most of those books are longer.
3.5
3.5
January 24, 2020
I’m very interested in the subject of this book as I often clash (in my mind) with my close friends over the fact that I don’t blame #richwhitemen for all my problems and in fact don’t think it’s productive at all to engage in the dehumanizing language they use which practically comes verbatim from the echo chambers in the online spaces we inhabit.
While I did enjoy the content of the book (and the fact that the author went to BU and is a Massachusetts native like me), I struggled with the book’s structure. The second half began to throw in a bunch of new concepts, each of which could be their own book, as well as book titles and quotes from other researchers. Combined with a surge in typos, it felt like I was reading an early draft in which too many tangentially related topics were shoved in. I did come away with some new books on my TBR, but I was getting frustrated by the lack of cohesion and the author’s own voice. I felt like I was drowning in quotes and allusions!
While I did enjoy the content of the book (and the fact that the author went to BU and is a Massachusetts native like me), I struggled with the book’s structure. The second half began to throw in a bunch of new concepts, each of which could be their own book, as well as book titles and quotes from other researchers. Combined with a surge in typos, it felt like I was reading an early draft in which too many tangentially related topics were shoved in. I did come away with some new books on my TBR, but I was getting frustrated by the lack of cohesion and the author’s own voice. I felt like I was drowning in quotes and allusions!
November 7, 2019
This was a Fresh Perspective on Group Thinking! How Culture is a Form of Hivemind that affects us in ways We Wouldn't even Think. This was a Very well written anf Expansively researched Book. Definitely recommend
October 12, 2019
While I appreciated the discussion of the psychological variables that may inform tribalism, I felt that the substance of the book was limited to the last two chapters.
January 25, 2022
For a while, this was one of the books I was most excited to read. I just can't help but feel disappointed with it for several reasons:
- Stylistically, I found it irritating. Cavanagh has a habit of recounting stories in the present tense - usually something like, "I go to this person and they tell me this. I am fascinated by this." This suddenly changed in chapter 11, but after 10 chapters it was a little grating. Probably just personal preference, though, fair enough.
- Conceptually, it was excellent (and whoever came up with the full title deserves a bonus, because it's great). However, having read the majority of the books Cavanagh cites, it feels as though much of the book briefer-than-is-ideal summary of some truly brilliant insights, without the clarity you'd expect.
- The biggest challenge was the inescapablly potent liberal bias throughout. At times, Cavanagh flirts with the idea that both left-leaning and right-leaning ideologies cause issues and that we "just differ on who we think the bad guys are" (chapter 9). Fine. But her idea of being able to "come together on even some of the most contentious, divisive issues that face us" is essentially that people who disagree with her change their mind. She chastises racists, conspiracy theorists and a lot of other stereotypical right-leaning issues (as well she should), but fails to address the challenges on the opposite side of the political spectrum, essentially giving a free pass to those she agrees with ideologically.
All this to say: the style, I can live with. The relative lack of original content is more challenging. But the subjective bias left me feeling like I'd read a book that missed the opportunity to paint the full and fair picture that Hivemind purports to, which is a real shame.
- Stylistically, I found it irritating. Cavanagh has a habit of recounting stories in the present tense - usually something like, "I go to this person and they tell me this. I am fascinated by this." This suddenly changed in chapter 11, but after 10 chapters it was a little grating. Probably just personal preference, though, fair enough.
- Conceptually, it was excellent (and whoever came up with the full title deserves a bonus, because it's great). However, having read the majority of the books Cavanagh cites, it feels as though much of the book briefer-than-is-ideal summary of some truly brilliant insights, without the clarity you'd expect.
- The biggest challenge was the inescapablly potent liberal bias throughout. At times, Cavanagh flirts with the idea that both left-leaning and right-leaning ideologies cause issues and that we "just differ on who we think the bad guys are" (chapter 9). Fine. But her idea of being able to "come together on even some of the most contentious, divisive issues that face us" is essentially that people who disagree with her change their mind. She chastises racists, conspiracy theorists and a lot of other stereotypical right-leaning issues (as well she should), but fails to address the challenges on the opposite side of the political spectrum, essentially giving a free pass to those she agrees with ideologically.
All this to say: the style, I can live with. The relative lack of original content is more challenging. But the subjective bias left me feeling like I'd read a book that missed the opportunity to paint the full and fair picture that Hivemind purports to, which is a real shame.
November 26, 2019
Get it. Read it. Tell a friend about it. So much info to think about. The best part is that by the in end you feel hopeful instead of like we are all going to schmuck.
November 10, 2021
The book starts off well and it has some good information. But what should have been a decent article quickly turned into a self-congratulatory 200+ page book detailing inconsistent arguments that lack any real data. Cavanagh also fills far too much space with her personal biases and emotional rhetoric, while still coming up short in the evidence department. I would like to say that there is enough information here to make it worth it, but it’s about as insightful as my Twitter feed. This book is basically about a woman getting paid to travel the US and have dinner with like-minded scholars. Safely, from their avocado toast dinners, Cavanagh and crew then discuss how other people should be more open-minded—but really only to ideas promoted by Cavanagh and her fellow elites. But hey! Trust her. She's a doctor.
October 18, 2019
A super smart and insightful look into both the good and the bad of our tribal instincts. Though Cavanagh is a neuroscientist, she explores the topic from various points of view and enlists insights from many contemporary experts. The book itself is a wonderful balance of synthesizing what we know about tribalism and humans' "hive-like" tendencies and providing Cavanagh's own reflection on them. Ultimately, it's a book that--despite some of the bleak and unfortunate things it explains--leaves you feeling empowered and hopeful about how we might mine our instincts and emotions for the better.
October 20, 2019
Loved the book!
Want to read
August 15, 2019Added it!
September 3, 2019
Excellent book!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. Sarah Rosa Cavanagh offers a succinct overview of the human tendency to form tribes based on perceived ingroups and outgroups, and how technology and social media have affected that capacity in the last decade. It's clear that Cavanagh is passionate and knowledgeable about social psychology. Throughout the book, she presents many interesting perspectives from friends and experts in the field. My one gripe is that her own research didn't come up much. Being a professor and researcher of psychology herself, I'm sure she has a lot of relevant findings, and I wish they had been highlighted more.
I found myself laughing, relating to, or otherwise feeling touched by many of the anecdotes Cavanagh shares, and I appreciate her overall message of hope. Although Cavanagh acknowledges the negative aspects of social media in relation to tribalism, she is decidedly optimistic about social media's ability to bring people together and create social change. She contests that humans are naturally social beings, and our need for unity will overcome our tendency towards tribalism. This sentiment is summed up well in the last chapter:
"...the grandest aspect of our humanity is our infinite adaptability and the flexibility with which we define who is "Us" and who is "Them." We may not be able to escape our ultrasociality or our tendency to form ingroups, but we can train ourselves to be more sensitive to whom we invite into our circles."
It's always better to be welcoming of differences and open to conversation than to shun differences and cut ties. I think that's something we all need to hear these days.
I found myself laughing, relating to, or otherwise feeling touched by many of the anecdotes Cavanagh shares, and I appreciate her overall message of hope. Although Cavanagh acknowledges the negative aspects of social media in relation to tribalism, she is decidedly optimistic about social media's ability to bring people together and create social change. She contests that humans are naturally social beings, and our need for unity will overcome our tendency towards tribalism. This sentiment is summed up well in the last chapter:
"...the grandest aspect of our humanity is our infinite adaptability and the flexibility with which we define who is "Us" and who is "Them." We may not be able to escape our ultrasociality or our tendency to form ingroups, but we can train ourselves to be more sensitive to whom we invite into our circles."
It's always better to be welcoming of differences and open to conversation than to shun differences and cut ties. I think that's something we all need to hear these days.
June 13, 2021
Going into this book, I assumed it would be a condemning of groups of people who think in a hive mind. At the time, I didn’t even realize how presumptuous or pessimistic that thought was. Instead, I was delighted an optimist and fair objective dissection of the oh-so-human practice of thinking in a hive mind. As I came to realize, “hive mind” is not the dirty term that describes a thing we should be fighting an shameful of, it is simply a the way humans function. Hivemind dives into the interconnectedness of thoughts and the impact that has on the world. Sure, there is plenty to worry about but it is not a thing to worry about in itself.
The author covers this topic in a shockingly positive way and in a very engaging writing style. While it might seem formulaic to some readers, I found the structure of the book and it’s paragraphs incredibly entertaining. The brief chapter introductions of descriptive writing breaks up the text and sets a new tone. The way chapters act as a vehicle to summarize interviews was fun and effective. Despite it’s scary sounding premise, I would highly recommend this book to everyone, especially as a light summer read to take on the beach.
The author covers this topic in a shockingly positive way and in a very engaging writing style. While it might seem formulaic to some readers, I found the structure of the book and it’s paragraphs incredibly entertaining. The brief chapter introductions of descriptive writing breaks up the text and sets a new tone. The way chapters act as a vehicle to summarize interviews was fun and effective. Despite it’s scary sounding premise, I would highly recommend this book to everyone, especially as a light summer read to take on the beach.
September 30, 2023
This is the only book that I have ever read that I have considered burning and I probably will burn it and video myself doing it. The first alarm bells rang when the author went to an eat as much as you can competition. Anyone who encourages this kind of behavior is to me despicable. However that is not the reason that I stopped reading the book. What follows is the line that has encouraged me to burn this book. Why burn it? Because I don't want to be responsible for another entity being indoctrinated with this garbage so I refuse to sell it."I'm encouraging example is that at the time of this writing YouTube declared that they will no longer recommend videos that advanced conspiracy theories even though they make more money when they do so". In plain English the author here is condoning the silencing of anyone who speaks out against the narrative, irrespective of it being potentially true. To all of you who promote this book whether you know it or not you or promoting satanic agenda
February 14, 2020
A fascinating look into why we are the way that we are now, and how to (hopefully) come back from the terrifying tribalism that dominates almost every aspect of the internet and continues to seep more and more into daily life. It's very accessible to non-psychologist audiences, and Cavanagh's prose is surprisingly well-written for a non-fiction author. I almost wish this had been written with a bit more of a scientific edge, as sometimes to me it felt like the main message of the passage got lost somewhere on the way. This also might just be my personal preference talking though, so take this with a grain of salt. Regardless, it's an insightful way to examine what makes us different, but more important, what makes us the same and how we need to use that to our advantage.
April 17, 2022
It's an interesting book and a well-researched one. It contains a lot of interesting nuggets of information and insightful interviews. The author sets out to find out more about the impact of social media on our hivelike society (an ambitious task), focusing on the US, but I feel that the conclusions weren't mind-blowing or unexpected- on the contrary, the book comes to conclusions that aren't difficult to come up by yourself if you give social media and the nature of humans some thought. However, I enjoyed the book in general and I learned a lot (just not that much about the impact of social media).
February 27, 2024
This book did a very good job depicting social media for the tool that it is, not inherently good or bad, then continuing on to say in what ways it could be both. It left me with a more charged feeling towards changing how we see and use social media and how we can come back together as a society in a communal way. Kudos to the author for a pretty unbiased work even though this book was written amidst very divided times.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something more in this greedy, capitalist America and looking for answers to the problems we face with social media.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something more in this greedy, capitalist America and looking for answers to the problems we face with social media.
May 19, 2021
Maybe it's because I've read a dozen other books on this subject, but I didn't get much from Hivemind. If this is your first dive into this subject, you'll probably view it in a better life. I was disappointed, mainly because there really wasn't much "new science". It's all stuff I've read elsewhere. Cavanagh's narrative style also served as a distraction for me, with tangents that didn't advance the story. The seasonal concept was unnecessary and had nothing to do tribalism.
August 11, 2021
The book presents good ideas to explain why our societies are more and more divided over the last few years with groups holding hard "good-bad" positions.
The author pays special attention to social technologies but it's not limited to those.
I think knowing these stuff is good starting point to understand how to take more 360 views in current society understanding as much as possible de "opposing" groups.
The author pays special attention to social technologies but it's not limited to those.
I think knowing these stuff is good starting point to understand how to take more 360 views in current society understanding as much as possible de "opposing" groups.
July 17, 2023
你必須要讓自己仍然保持由書本或較長的座談討論中獲得較全面的知識, 在資訊速食時代, 斷章取義, 假訊息亂飛根本無法由簡單的臉書貼文或推特去看到事件的全貌. 蜂巢思維是因為人需要歸屬感, 向同溫層取暖. 跳脫這些需求, 不被假新聞牽著走需要自制力. 不過這是一個媒體和網路版面一起沉淪年代. 我連潛水都不屑, 還是回到扎實的東西. 來來去去稍縱即逝的新聞很多都只有雷聲沒有雨點.
前 言 / III
秋季
第 1 章 “蜂巢思维”与社交媒体 / 003
第 2 章 我们的小说与我们自己 / 029
第 3 章 包容的门槛 / 054
冬季
第 4 章 社交媒体的是是非非 / 075
第 5 章 自我与他人 / 099
第 6 章 内部的敌人 / 117
第 7 章 社交技术的创伤 / 146
春季
第 8 章 行走的杏仁核 / 177
第 9 章 解决之道 / 196
夏季
第 10 章 社会性动物 / 229
第 11 章 教训 / 258
前 言 / III
秋季
第 1 章 “蜂巢思维”与社交媒体 / 003
第 2 章 我们的小说与我们自己 / 029
第 3 章 包容的门槛 / 054
冬季
第 4 章 社交媒体的是是非非 / 075
第 5 章 自我与他人 / 099
第 6 章 内部的敌人 / 117
第 7 章 社交技术的创伤 / 146
春季
第 8 章 行走的杏仁核 / 177
第 9 章 解决之道 / 196
夏季
第 10 章 社会性动物 / 229
第 11 章 教训 / 258
December 31, 2019
Great writing style that’s easy to read. Contains a mix of peer reviewed sources and personal conjecture. Her personal politics enters the book, which is really draining for many people after 2019, but the overall mood is generally positive. You probably won’t feel like you learned much new in the end, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Would’ve gave 3.5 stars if possible.
February 20, 2022
This book is very intriguing. It took me awhile to read, because I had to digest the chapters. "Seek out a diverse range of people to interact with. Step outside your tribe to build relationships with people different from you." My favorite lines of the book. This book makes one think about society.
May 9, 2024
Strong three stars. There were some very interesting themes and concepts about the hive mind in the first half of this book but then it veered off into a critique of social media and a ‘how-to’ on using it positively. I think this was two books crammed into one, which resulted in a mish-mash with neither topic getting enough depth.
December 7, 2019
Hivemind takes a close look at the problems facing our divisive, damaged ,technological society. With serious research and hope- filled empathy, Cavanagh offers some startling, practical solutions to the issues facing our world.
Read
January 19, 2020"Hivemind" by Dr. Sarah Rose Cavanagh is an expression of the collective consciousness that we share, and how to work with it to enhance our life, instead of letting ourselves be deterred or distracted. It provides an understanding of how we perform behaviors to link to one another.
April 5, 2020
The author is from the clan of the PhDs. So you must trust the higher intellect of the bureaucratic caste that endowed him with this membership and mommy and daddy who have paid for the living expenses.
August 27, 2020
I’ve kind of just started reading more about psychology and how we work as humans so I found this really informative and easy to follow. However, four stars because like most things it probably has its flaws, I just can’t articulate them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews