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The Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World
"Enriching" ― Publisher's Weekly
"Excellent and illuminating"― Wall Street Journal
In the tradition of Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene , Nichola Raihani's The Social Instinct is a profound and engaging look at the hidden relationships underpinning human evolution, and why cooperation is key to our future survival.
Cooperation is the means by which life arose in the first place. It’s how life progressed through scale and complexity, from free-floating strands of genetic material to nation states. But given what we know about evolution, cooperation is also something of a puzzle. How does cooperation begin, when on a Darwinian level, all the genes in the body care about is being passed on to the next generation? Why do meerkats care for one another’s offspring? Why do babbler birds in the Kalahari form colonies in which only a single pair breeds? And how come some reef-dwelling fish punish each other for harming fish from another species?
A biologist by training, Raihani looks at where and how collaborative behavior emerges throughout the animal kingdom, and what problems it solves. She reveals that the species that exhibit cooperative behaviour most similar to our own tend not to be other apes; they are birds, insects, and fish, occupying far more distant branches of the evolutionary tree. By understanding the problems they face, and how they cooperate to solve them, we can glimpse how human cooperation first evolved. And we can also understand what it is about the way we cooperate that makes us so distinctive–and so successful.
"Excellent and illuminating"― Wall Street Journal
In the tradition of Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene , Nichola Raihani's The Social Instinct is a profound and engaging look at the hidden relationships underpinning human evolution, and why cooperation is key to our future survival.
Cooperation is the means by which life arose in the first place. It’s how life progressed through scale and complexity, from free-floating strands of genetic material to nation states. But given what we know about evolution, cooperation is also something of a puzzle. How does cooperation begin, when on a Darwinian level, all the genes in the body care about is being passed on to the next generation? Why do meerkats care for one another’s offspring? Why do babbler birds in the Kalahari form colonies in which only a single pair breeds? And how come some reef-dwelling fish punish each other for harming fish from another species?
A biologist by training, Raihani looks at where and how collaborative behavior emerges throughout the animal kingdom, and what problems it solves. She reveals that the species that exhibit cooperative behaviour most similar to our own tend not to be other apes; they are birds, insects, and fish, occupying far more distant branches of the evolutionary tree. By understanding the problems they face, and how they cooperate to solve them, we can glimpse how human cooperation first evolved. And we can also understand what it is about the way we cooperate that makes us so distinctive–and so successful.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published June 3, 2021
About the author
Nichola Raihani
3 books66 followersNichola Raihani is a Royal Society University Research Fellow and Professor in Evolution and Behaviour at UCL. Her group's research focuses on the evolution of social behaviour in humans and non-human species. She has been widely published in scientific journals, won the 2018 Philip Leverhulme Prize in Psychology for her research achievements, and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology in 2018. She lives in the UK with her family. You can find out more about her research here (http://www.seb-lab.org/) or find her on Twitter (@nicholaraihani).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
June 14, 2021
Very solid run-of-the-mill popular science book that talks about cooperation from the smallest level (molecules teaming up to form cells) to the highest (people teaming up to form institutions). I love books that take one topic and "zoom out" like this—the canonical example I have in my head is Behave by Robert Sapolsky.
I didn't learn much here, though the examples of non-human cooperation were very fun. I'm happy that when academics make analogies between humans and other animals they no longer get pummelled with rotten vegetables. (It really happened! In the '70s people threw tomatoes at E.O. Wilson for claiming that we can learn things about the human mind by studying ants!)
I didn't learn much here, though the examples of non-human cooperation were very fun. I'm happy that when academics make analogies between humans and other animals they no longer get pummelled with rotten vegetables. (It really happened! In the '70s people threw tomatoes at E.O. Wilson for claiming that we can learn things about the human mind by studying ants!)
September 7, 2021
The Social Instinct-How Cooperation Shaped the World is an incredibly complex and important book that breaks down Cooperative Behavior from the smallest~down to cellular DNA and the earliest involving Darwinism and Evolution~to the Largest where Cooperation is spoken about on a Global Scale.
The author is extremely intelligent and is an Evolutionary Biologist with years of experience and practice in this field. So, some of the material I did find a lot to take in. I actually took 6 pages of notes. I do love to learn new facts and certainly feel I achieved a much broader knowledge of how our individual systems work and large scale systems function. So, any mistakes made in this review are mine alone.
The book is helpful as it is broken down into 4 individual areas. 1. The Making of You and Me., 2. The Family Way, 3. Widening the Net, 4. A Different Kind of Ape.
The Making of You and Me was the most technical and scientific. I did struggle to keep all these facts straight. At the core, we are made up of DNA. Still, most would consider humans to be individual from our DNA, even though it is functions as a collaborative force. Also, we are not considered a solely functioning Collaborative Species at all times, but as an individual unit. Ants, on the other hand are thought of as a collaborative species, as they could not function if they did not each have a role in the group. This is true of bees as well.
So, from the start collaboration between cells also can cause conflict. Genes will function to provide for the whole unit, but there are selfish gene variants. These genes want to look after themselves and get the greatest advantage. The solution becomes cooperation from gene groups that put a stop to this self-serving gene. The same is true with cancer, as tumors grow because diverse cell groups help each other out. Cooperation does not always bring a rewarding outcome.
2. The Family Way. Social Activity is essential, but varies based on the species. Many examples were given using Chimps, Yellow-Billed Hambill, and Birds. Usually, evolution or circumstance makes us behave in ways conducive to having off-spring. Most species, the Mother is the primary caregiver. Still, in Australia men were convicts and outnumbered women 16-1. This made them change their behavior to be very active in looking after the female and then looking after their children. This remains the Cultural Norm today.
Concept of Cooperative Breeding is discussed. When extended family and older sibling help out, the outcome is usually better. It is a relatively new concept that the Mother must be alone with her children. Many studies have shown that Cooperative Help, such a Day Care and Child Groups are more beneficial to children.
3. Widening the Net. We may be the only species capable of Empathy and Wanting to Alleviate the Other’s Pain. This can be a great force for Cooperation, but we need to understand motive.
Often, the goal as Social Creatures is we learn it is essential to be part of the group. We can go against the group, but this will bring a high price. We have learned over time, to survive we must rely on others. Punishment can be used as a tool, but actually social pressure to conform is a much bigger motivator to success. We self police ourselves and others to come to on overall better outcome.
4. A Different Sort of Ape. Humans tend to do a lot of Social Comparing. We are eager to measure up against those around us. So, when we collaborate, we have also evolved to notice Conflict that can come. As we have expanded, and have our material needs addressed, humans tend to widen the Net to larger groups. Yet, we do tend to be quite self-serving. Cooperation among a large group can also have victims of this behavior. Bribery, Nepotism, and Corruption are examples. Less well-off groups will be taken advantage of.
When tragic circumstances happen such as Covid-19, humans can be very helpful and altruistic toward those around them, but selfish as well. They want all the food bought and the rolls of paper towels. We tend to forget the larger sector at this time.
In light of all this human behavior where Cooperation can bring us together, but easily fall apart, can we ever act truly globally in all our interests to stop massive problems such a Climate Change, Destroying our Habitat, Containing Diseases? Nichola Raihani says there is hope, as humans have the ability to change the rules. We can mutually agree to some coercion to make necessary change. We can do what will save us, but this is up to us.
Thank you NetGalley, Nichola Raihani, and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book.
The author is extremely intelligent and is an Evolutionary Biologist with years of experience and practice in this field. So, some of the material I did find a lot to take in. I actually took 6 pages of notes. I do love to learn new facts and certainly feel I achieved a much broader knowledge of how our individual systems work and large scale systems function. So, any mistakes made in this review are mine alone.
The book is helpful as it is broken down into 4 individual areas. 1. The Making of You and Me., 2. The Family Way, 3. Widening the Net, 4. A Different Kind of Ape.
The Making of You and Me was the most technical and scientific. I did struggle to keep all these facts straight. At the core, we are made up of DNA. Still, most would consider humans to be individual from our DNA, even though it is functions as a collaborative force. Also, we are not considered a solely functioning Collaborative Species at all times, but as an individual unit. Ants, on the other hand are thought of as a collaborative species, as they could not function if they did not each have a role in the group. This is true of bees as well.
So, from the start collaboration between cells also can cause conflict. Genes will function to provide for the whole unit, but there are selfish gene variants. These genes want to look after themselves and get the greatest advantage. The solution becomes cooperation from gene groups that put a stop to this self-serving gene. The same is true with cancer, as tumors grow because diverse cell groups help each other out. Cooperation does not always bring a rewarding outcome.
2. The Family Way. Social Activity is essential, but varies based on the species. Many examples were given using Chimps, Yellow-Billed Hambill, and Birds. Usually, evolution or circumstance makes us behave in ways conducive to having off-spring. Most species, the Mother is the primary caregiver. Still, in Australia men were convicts and outnumbered women 16-1. This made them change their behavior to be very active in looking after the female and then looking after their children. This remains the Cultural Norm today.
Concept of Cooperative Breeding is discussed. When extended family and older sibling help out, the outcome is usually better. It is a relatively new concept that the Mother must be alone with her children. Many studies have shown that Cooperative Help, such a Day Care and Child Groups are more beneficial to children.
3. Widening the Net. We may be the only species capable of Empathy and Wanting to Alleviate the Other’s Pain. This can be a great force for Cooperation, but we need to understand motive.
Often, the goal as Social Creatures is we learn it is essential to be part of the group. We can go against the group, but this will bring a high price. We have learned over time, to survive we must rely on others. Punishment can be used as a tool, but actually social pressure to conform is a much bigger motivator to success. We self police ourselves and others to come to on overall better outcome.
4. A Different Sort of Ape. Humans tend to do a lot of Social Comparing. We are eager to measure up against those around us. So, when we collaborate, we have also evolved to notice Conflict that can come. As we have expanded, and have our material needs addressed, humans tend to widen the Net to larger groups. Yet, we do tend to be quite self-serving. Cooperation among a large group can also have victims of this behavior. Bribery, Nepotism, and Corruption are examples. Less well-off groups will be taken advantage of.
When tragic circumstances happen such as Covid-19, humans can be very helpful and altruistic toward those around them, but selfish as well. They want all the food bought and the rolls of paper towels. We tend to forget the larger sector at this time.
In light of all this human behavior where Cooperation can bring us together, but easily fall apart, can we ever act truly globally in all our interests to stop massive problems such a Climate Change, Destroying our Habitat, Containing Diseases? Nichola Raihani says there is hope, as humans have the ability to change the rules. We can mutually agree to some coercion to make necessary change. We can do what will save us, but this is up to us.
Thank you NetGalley, Nichola Raihani, and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book.
June 3, 2021
The Social Instinct is a profound and engaging look at the hidden relationships underpinning human evolution, and why cooperation is key to our future survival written in the style of The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. Cooperation is the means by which life arose in the first place. It’s how we progressed through scale and complexity, from free-floating strands of genetic material, to nation states. But given what we know about the mechanisms of evolution, cooperation is also something of a puzzle. How does cooperation begin, when on a Darwinian level, all that the genes in your body care about is being passed on to the next generation? Why do meerkat colonies care for one another’s children? Why do babbler birds in the Kalahari form colonies in which only a single pair breeds? And how come some coral wrasse fish actually punish each other for harming fish from another species?
A biologist by training, Raihani looks at where and how collaborative behavior emerges throughout the animal kingdom, and what problems it solves. She reveals that the species that exhibit cooperative behavior–teaching, helping, grooming, and self-sacrifice–most similar to our own tend not to be other apes; they are birds, insects, and fish, occupying far more distant branches of the evolutionary tree. By understanding the problems they face, and how they cooperate to solve them, we can glimpse how human cooperation first evolved. And we can also understand what it is about the way we cooperate that has made humans so distinctive–and so successful. This is a fascinating, accessible and thoughtful read but best of all it's as entertaining as it is informative. Using colourful and intriguing examples, Raihani shows that cooperation is at the centre of our bodies, societies and ecosystems. Highly recommended.
A biologist by training, Raihani looks at where and how collaborative behavior emerges throughout the animal kingdom, and what problems it solves. She reveals that the species that exhibit cooperative behavior–teaching, helping, grooming, and self-sacrifice–most similar to our own tend not to be other apes; they are birds, insects, and fish, occupying far more distant branches of the evolutionary tree. By understanding the problems they face, and how they cooperate to solve them, we can glimpse how human cooperation first evolved. And we can also understand what it is about the way we cooperate that has made humans so distinctive–and so successful. This is a fascinating, accessible and thoughtful read but best of all it's as entertaining as it is informative. Using colourful and intriguing examples, Raihani shows that cooperation is at the centre of our bodies, societies and ecosystems. Highly recommended.
November 25, 2021
I really should not rate books over a week after I read them. But, I do always feel obligated to rate books that are nonfiction as they are less popular than fictional books or biographies.
So I finished this book and gave it a good rating... what did I like about it?
Part 1 is about cooperation on a genetic and cellular level and Part 2 is about the evolution of families. As an avid reader, I did find some repetitive bits, but the author did highlight some interesting ethology studies that she has worked on. To this point, I have to say that I am generally a bigger fan of works done by professors (Raihani is one) as opposed to science journalists (there are exceptions, naturally). I've read enough books that I will occasionally find inconsistencies and errors in some works by non-scientists. However, scientists can sometimes be overly pedantic or unclear. That said, you see less prattling often by female authors either way. That's a generalization, but nonetheless a trend I've noticed. To sum up, I think that Raihani is a clear and engaging writer.
Parts 3 and 4 were my favorite parts of her works. Even though slightly outside her field of ethology, I liked her exploration of human cooperation as those studies are rarely ever dull. Part 3 is about extending cooperation outside of familial groups. Part 4 moves beyond strangers to society as a whole. At this point, Raihani waxes philosophical about the limits of cooperation and how they are more vital than ever in a world ensconced in challenges like global climate change. I didn't mind this thread at all and thought it was an excellent way to wrap up her book. Even though philosophical explorations are a common theme in non fiction books, I have mostly come to enjoy them. They must be of the more challenging pieces to write as I notice sometimes writers more or less trail off, but I think she does it well.
Overall, I thought this was an engaging and interesting read, but especially if you haven't read books on this theme. As much as the selfish gene is an important mechanism in evolution, so too is group behavior and cooperation-- one we must not overlook.
So I finished this book and gave it a good rating... what did I like about it?
Part 1 is about cooperation on a genetic and cellular level and Part 2 is about the evolution of families. As an avid reader, I did find some repetitive bits, but the author did highlight some interesting ethology studies that she has worked on. To this point, I have to say that I am generally a bigger fan of works done by professors (Raihani is one) as opposed to science journalists (there are exceptions, naturally). I've read enough books that I will occasionally find inconsistencies and errors in some works by non-scientists. However, scientists can sometimes be overly pedantic or unclear. That said, you see less prattling often by female authors either way. That's a generalization, but nonetheless a trend I've noticed. To sum up, I think that Raihani is a clear and engaging writer.
Parts 3 and 4 were my favorite parts of her works. Even though slightly outside her field of ethology, I liked her exploration of human cooperation as those studies are rarely ever dull. Part 3 is about extending cooperation outside of familial groups. Part 4 moves beyond strangers to society as a whole. At this point, Raihani waxes philosophical about the limits of cooperation and how they are more vital than ever in a world ensconced in challenges like global climate change. I didn't mind this thread at all and thought it was an excellent way to wrap up her book. Even though philosophical explorations are a common theme in non fiction books, I have mostly come to enjoy them. They must be of the more challenging pieces to write as I notice sometimes writers more or less trail off, but I think she does it well.
Overall, I thought this was an engaging and interesting read, but especially if you haven't read books on this theme. As much as the selfish gene is an important mechanism in evolution, so too is group behavior and cooperation-- one we must not overlook.
September 23, 2021
Truly amazing book in my opinion. Witty, yet thought-provoking and insightful.
Really appreciate the author's apparent passion for and competency within her field(s), as well as the lighthearted writing-style.
Would have liked to see some of the 'Game Concepts' exemplified textbook-style, maybe in appendix.
Really appreciate the author's apparent passion for and competency within her field(s), as well as the lighthearted writing-style.
Would have liked to see some of the 'Game Concepts' exemplified textbook-style, maybe in appendix.
July 8, 2021
What an amazing book! I learned so much in such a small volume! The easy flowing language can be understood even if you don’t remember much from you high school biology course. Now I view everything through a lense. Very philosophical book as well, why do we behave a certain way?
September 3, 2022
The Goodreads blurb for "The Social Instinct" starts with "[i]n the tradition of Richard Dawkins's "The Selfish Gene [...]," and I don't think anything I can write here will tell you as much as that intro. Except, perhaps, that Raihani focuses more on the science and less on the attitude bit Dawkins is known for. I liked "The Selfish Gene" and I find Dawkins' attitude funny, but Raihani's book is a much more approachable read, particularly for those who may not appreciate Dawkins' anti-religion diatribes and love of controversy-baiting statements.
In this book, the author breaks down what she means with the Social Instinct, how we and other animals are coded to cooperate - mostly in a very selfish manner - the role evolution plays in that cooperation, and how it's crucial that we ascend (so to speak) to the next cooperative level. She also cleverly compare and contrast cooperation in the natural world to give a glimpse into the evolutionary development of human cooperation. And she manages to illustrate why and how we stand out among animals by showing how much we have in common with them, that's a pretty neat trick Dr. Raihani - well played!
This is a through-and-through solid pop-science book, with the added bonus of having been written by an actual professor in Evolution and Behavior - I love when academic minds manage to produce truly layperson-digestible books! Could it have been packed with more science-y stuff? You bet'ya, but I really don't think it was/is necessary here. Raihani gets her points across succinctly, effectively, and mostly entertainingly.
Recommended!
In this book, the author breaks down what she means with the Social Instinct, how we and other animals are coded to cooperate - mostly in a very selfish manner - the role evolution plays in that cooperation, and how it's crucial that we ascend (so to speak) to the next cooperative level. She also cleverly compare and contrast cooperation in the natural world to give a glimpse into the evolutionary development of human cooperation. And she manages to illustrate why and how we stand out among animals by showing how much we have in common with them, that's a pretty neat trick Dr. Raihani - well played!
This is a through-and-through solid pop-science book, with the added bonus of having been written by an actual professor in Evolution and Behavior - I love when academic minds manage to produce truly layperson-digestible books! Could it have been packed with more science-y stuff? You bet'ya, but I really don't think it was/is necessary here. Raihani gets her points across succinctly, effectively, and mostly entertainingly.
Recommended!
March 31, 2021
Did you know that the most children a single mother has produced is 69? Or that Human social attitudes have more in common with non-apes than apes?
This is a well written, fluid account which is absolutely packed full of interesting details and biological comparisons. Ranging from bugs to birds and Indigenous lifestyles, it shows that humans share similarities with many animals. But surprisingly, we are remarkably dissimilar to apes and chimps.
We hear that human cooperation is far closer to that shown by Ants and Meerkats, especially the way Meerkats train their young how to hunt. We hear of birds which help other breeding couples, as humans will also help each other. We also learn that human children are surprisingly unique in the way that they will help in the rearing of siblings; something which is completely absent from apes and monkeys.
Why do babies wake up at night? There is no obvious benefit to the baby. But doing so disrupts the mother’s fertility, meaning that there is less competition for the baby. Could that be why babies wake-up?
We also hear that menopause is relatively unique to humanity. Why is that? Historical records show that when a grandmother has children alongside her daughter, her daughter’s children were less than half as likely to survive to the age of 15, due to the greater competition for resources. Could factors like this be why menopause occurs? If so, does it suggest that elements of human ageing are a design feature, not a flaw?
When the author considers the behaviours and mindsets which enable socialisation, we hear of the importance of reciprocation. But we also hear of the delicate balancing act that is shaming and punishment. Comparisons with Cleaner fish show similar practices in non-human contexts, although once again there is nothing similar amongst apes.
There is so much information packed into the book that it is hard to do it all justice. I wonder if the author also experienced occasional difficulties in this regard, as there are sometimes puzzlingly isolated claims. For example, we hear that religion is like paranoia (Kindle Location 69%), but then the book moves on without further explanation, and without exploring related issues of whether ethical beliefs are also like a paranoia. These are enormous issues and they deserve to be explored in far more detail. Or, alternatively, perhaps the issues would be better kept for a follow-up book where there would be more space to explore them.
All in all I enjoyed the book and learned a lot from the wide ranging discussions and examples.
These comments are honest opinions based on an Advanced Review Copy.
This is a well written, fluid account which is absolutely packed full of interesting details and biological comparisons. Ranging from bugs to birds and Indigenous lifestyles, it shows that humans share similarities with many animals. But surprisingly, we are remarkably dissimilar to apes and chimps.
We hear that human cooperation is far closer to that shown by Ants and Meerkats, especially the way Meerkats train their young how to hunt. We hear of birds which help other breeding couples, as humans will also help each other. We also learn that human children are surprisingly unique in the way that they will help in the rearing of siblings; something which is completely absent from apes and monkeys.
Why do babies wake up at night? There is no obvious benefit to the baby. But doing so disrupts the mother’s fertility, meaning that there is less competition for the baby. Could that be why babies wake-up?
We also hear that menopause is relatively unique to humanity. Why is that? Historical records show that when a grandmother has children alongside her daughter, her daughter’s children were less than half as likely to survive to the age of 15, due to the greater competition for resources. Could factors like this be why menopause occurs? If so, does it suggest that elements of human ageing are a design feature, not a flaw?
When the author considers the behaviours and mindsets which enable socialisation, we hear of the importance of reciprocation. But we also hear of the delicate balancing act that is shaming and punishment. Comparisons with Cleaner fish show similar practices in non-human contexts, although once again there is nothing similar amongst apes.
There is so much information packed into the book that it is hard to do it all justice. I wonder if the author also experienced occasional difficulties in this regard, as there are sometimes puzzlingly isolated claims. For example, we hear that religion is like paranoia (Kindle Location 69%), but then the book moves on without further explanation, and without exploring related issues of whether ethical beliefs are also like a paranoia. These are enormous issues and they deserve to be explored in far more detail. Or, alternatively, perhaps the issues would be better kept for a follow-up book where there would be more space to explore them.
All in all I enjoyed the book and learned a lot from the wide ranging discussions and examples.
These comments are honest opinions based on an Advanced Review Copy.
November 16, 2021
The broad and diverse range of examples of social behavior made re think what it means to be social. (I kept writing “!!!” in the margins.) Great research, great storytelling, even funny. I look forward to Nichola Raishani’s next book.
August 25, 2021
Whenever I grab a book on a topic that I’ve already read dozens of books on, I’m concerned it’ll be just like all the others with no new information. Nichola Raihani managed to write a book that provides so much new information, that I couldn’t stop reading it. Sometimes, I also worry that books about cooperation and human interaction will be all of the benefits and come off too self-helpish without discussing the dark sides of us, but Raihani had a great blend. The author wrote on so many interesting and important topics from how we signal to others, how we fight for status, motives behind our altruism, and so much more. I also really enjoyed that Nichola and her colleagues have done their own studies that were really unique and had extremely interesting results. Even when some familiar studies or topics were covered, the author managed to make them feel fresh and offered a unique perspective about what we can learn from them.
I’ll be honest, the first section of the book took me a long time to read, and this is no fault of the author. I learned a ton, but this part had a lot to do with biology, and that’s just a topic that’s very difficult for me to get engaged in. Once the author started writing about some of the evolutionary psychology of all this, I couldn’t stop reading it. The book is phenomenal and I really hope with it’s US release that it gets as much attention and praise as it deserves.
I’ll be honest, the first section of the book took me a long time to read, and this is no fault of the author. I learned a ton, but this part had a lot to do with biology, and that’s just a topic that’s very difficult for me to get engaged in. Once the author started writing about some of the evolutionary psychology of all this, I couldn’t stop reading it. The book is phenomenal and I really hope with it’s US release that it gets as much attention and praise as it deserves.
August 29, 2021
Good popular science book on the topic of cooperation all throughout the animal kingdom and spanning our whole evolutionary history. Despite that sweeping topic, it's not a long book. The broadness of the subject does sometimes make the book's organization feel a bit random, but cooperation is still a subject I think we could all use more of in this divisive world, so I found it helpful to ponder why we do (and don't) cooperate, both on the individual level and the societal. Might make you rethink your own motives now and then, and at the very least will give you some fun anecdotes about animal behavior. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for offering this book to me for review!
August 24, 2021
Excellent book! Based on extraordinarily thorough research by the author, this book examines cooperation among members of numerous species in the animal world. There is a lot of discussion of cooperation among insects, birds, and fish; I would liked to have focused on humans more. However, the book was beautifully written, especially for the layperson. Fascinating topic!
March 9, 2022
This book puts us humans in our place. We are not so special - our secrets to being social are not so different from those that govern societies of genes, ants, birds or even bacteria. Raihani's book is a one-stop-shop for anyone who wants to understand our place in evolution. She weaves a clever and captivating story of the science behind sociality across the tree of life, highlighting how evolution has recapitulated the same story of sociality many, many times. Her elegant style brings the social foibles and wonders of the natural world to life, drawing on her own extraordinary legacy as a scientist as well delving into the depths of scientific literature on the how all of life, to a greater or lesser degree, is social. Raihani's prose is crisp and clear, and free of sensational jargon. These are stories of science wrapped in a sharp, analytical synthesis. She joins the dots for the reader, leaving you feeling empowered, convinced and amazed.
I cannot recommend this book more highly - it may be the most important book you read this year. Enjoy!
I cannot recommend this book more highly - it may be the most important book you read this year. Enjoy!
July 11, 2021
This is a fantastic book that explains the evolutionary logic of cooperation and how it has shaped life on our planet. Beginning with how multicellular organisms evolved and going through larger scale examples of cooperation (and conflict), the book highlights how understanding the evolutionary logic of cooperation can help to explain an incredibly diverse array of behaviours, institutions and norms in both humans and animals. The book also highlights how behaviours that appear cognitively complex and uniquely human (punishment, teaching, reputation management) can often be found in other species as well. This is what makes the book so enjoyable to read as there are countless fascinating examples of cooperation in other species (most of which Raihani has studied herself!). Would highly recommend this book to everyone!
June 18, 2021
This was one of my anticipated books of 2021 and it did not disappoint! Nichola masterfully details how cooperation has evolved within humans and out to families and fellow humans around the world. The most powerful aspect of her argument are the examples of cooperation not just in humans but in many other animals in the animal kingdom. The behavioral ecology along with the evolutionary psychology themes interlaced within this cohesive narrative make this book one of the most important books to read!
August 10, 2022
It's an interesting take on the social norms and deviations in humans and other animal kingdoms with loads of enticing examples and pellucid explanations. The parallels drawn between humans and other species have impressed me the most. Sometimes the number of examples and concepts introduced are turgid but doesn't hamper the flow that much. I learnt a lot of interesting concepts as well as new horizons of interest to read opened. It's a new age saga of cooperation and failure or success.
August 9, 2021
A compelling look at the necessity of working together - from early hominids to our current societies. How we can unite to do good and fight despotic and abusive leaders.
I also found out why people hate vegans! Makes me understand why I am constantly being criticized!
I also found out why people hate vegans! Makes me understand why I am constantly being criticized!
May 15, 2022
Well-written and enjoyable read. Not much new for me as a biology student, but would definitely recommend to anyone who is not and who is interested in cooperation.
December 20, 2021
بافتراض أن التطور يفضل درجة معينة من الاستثمار الأبوي في الأطفال حتى يكبروا ، فمن الذي يجب عليه تسدية هذه النفقات؟
أحد الأنماط الأكثر لفتًا للانتباه - والغموض - في الطبيعة هو أنه حتى في الأنواع التي لا يمكننا فيها التمييز بسهولة بين الذكور والإناث من خلال النظر ، يمكننا غالبًا أن نأخذ فكرة عن تحديد الجنس من خلال النظر إلى من يقوم بتربية النسل. مع استثناءات قليلة ملحوظة ، يقع على عاتق الإناث عادةً القيام بكل العمل أو الجزء الأكبر منه. يبقى الذكور فقط للمساعدة في النسل إذا أعطت جهودهم ميزة إضافية كبيرة للصغار - كافية لتعويض الذكر عن فرص الإنجاب المفقودة التي قد يتابعها بخلاف ذلك.
بالطبع ، هناك استثناءات لهذه القاعدة العامة. لقد رأينا بالفعل أن ذكور بعض الأنواع هم آباء شغوفون ، وفي أقلية من الأنواع ، تقع واجبات رعاية الأطفال بالكامل على عاتق الذكور. هذا شائع جدًا بين الأسماك حيث يتم تخصيب البيض خارجيًا ، لأن الأنثى يمكن أن تفرخ بيضها في منطقة الذكر وتسبح ، مما يتركه وحيداً ليعتني بالأطفال. في الطيور ، تعتبر الرعاية الثنائية من قبل الوالدين هي القاعدة ، على الرغم من أن الإناث لا تزال تستثمر أكثر من الذكور في النسل.
في المجتمعات البشرية ، تميل الأمهات (في المتوسط) إلى الاستثمار في الأبناء أكثر من الآباء ، وهي تكلفة تبدأ عندما يكون الرضيع داخل رحم الأم. الحمل مكلف لجميع الثدييات الإناث ، ولكن يبدو أن النساء يدفعن ثمناً باهظاً بشكل خاص. مقارنة بأنواع الرئيسيات الأخرى ، فإننا نلد أطفالًا بأحجام كبيرة ، على الرغم من أن معظم نمو دماغهم يتم تأجيله إلى فترة ما بعد الولادة. نتيجة لذلك ، يبدو أن حديثي الولادة يظهرون على أنهم ولدوا قبل أن يكونوا مستعدين لمواجهة العالم. لديهم مهارات معرفية وحركية ضعيفة نسبيًا ، وغير قادرين على الرؤية أو السمع مثل البالغين ، ويعتمدون تمامًا على البالغين الذين يعتنون بهم للحصول على الطعام والدفء والحماية. في الواقع ، لكي يولد طفل بشري بنفس المهارات المعرفية والحركية لصغار الشمبانزي ، يجب أن يولد بعد تسعة أشهر أخرى أي ثمانية عشر شهراً.
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Nichole Raihani
The Social Instinct
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
أحد الأنماط الأكثر لفتًا للانتباه - والغموض - في الطبيعة هو أنه حتى في الأنواع التي لا يمكننا فيها التمييز بسهولة بين الذكور والإناث من خلال النظر ، يمكننا غالبًا أن نأخذ فكرة عن تحديد الجنس من خلال النظر إلى من يقوم بتربية النسل. مع استثناءات قليلة ملحوظة ، يقع على عاتق الإناث عادةً القيام بكل العمل أو الجزء الأكبر منه. يبقى الذكور فقط للمساعدة في النسل إذا أعطت جهودهم ميزة إضافية كبيرة للصغار - كافية لتعويض الذكر عن فرص الإنجاب المفقودة التي قد يتابعها بخلاف ذلك.
بالطبع ، هناك استثناءات لهذه القاعدة العامة. لقد رأينا بالفعل أن ذكور بعض الأنواع هم آباء شغوفون ، وفي أقلية من الأنواع ، تقع واجبات رعاية الأطفال بالكامل على عاتق الذكور. هذا شائع جدًا بين الأسماك حيث يتم تخصيب البيض خارجيًا ، لأن الأنثى يمكن أن تفرخ بيضها في منطقة الذكر وتسبح ، مما يتركه وحيداً ليعتني بالأطفال. في الطيور ، تعتبر الرعاية الثنائية من قبل الوالدين هي القاعدة ، على الرغم من أن الإناث لا تزال تستثمر أكثر من الذكور في النسل.
في المجتمعات البشرية ، تميل الأمهات (في المتوسط) إلى الاستثمار في الأبناء أكثر من الآباء ، وهي تكلفة تبدأ عندما يكون الرضيع داخل رحم الأم. الحمل مكلف لجميع الثدييات الإناث ، ولكن يبدو أن النساء يدفعن ثمناً باهظاً بشكل خاص. مقارنة بأنواع الرئيسيات الأخرى ، فإننا نلد أطفالًا بأحجام كبيرة ، على الرغم من أن معظم نمو دماغهم يتم تأجيله إلى فترة ما بعد الولادة. نتيجة لذلك ، يبدو أن حديثي الولادة يظهرون على أنهم ولدوا قبل أن يكونوا مستعدين لمواجهة العالم. لديهم مهارات معرفية وحركية ضعيفة نسبيًا ، وغير قادرين على الرؤية أو السمع مثل البالغين ، ويعتمدون تمامًا على البالغين الذين يعتنون بهم للحصول على الطعام والدفء والحماية. في الواقع ، لكي يولد طفل بشري بنفس المهارات المعرفية والحركية لصغار الشمبانزي ، يجب أن يولد بعد تسعة أشهر أخرى أي ثمانية عشر شهراً.
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Nichole Raihani
The Social Instinct
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
August 22, 2021
I was delighted that Martins’s Press offered me the chance to read this new book about cooperative behaviour. I read it slowly and carefully, enjoying every chapter. As a biased reviewer (animal behavior was my career choice) I set down here my criteria for giving the book five stars. The first star is for being a timely book about one of my favorite subjects and one that humans need to understand in more depth. I give another star for the text being well organized, written, clear, humorous, personal, and without too much redundancy. The third star is for being so thorough, extensive, and wide ranging in terms of topics, species, and research (loved the babblers, meerkats, mongooses, and cleaner fish, and that impersonator, the blenny!). My fourth star I give to Nichola Raihani for engaging my interest throughout a rather densely packed overview of cooperation/conflict balancing in basic biology as well more complex social behaviour. The instinct part of her title was a bit misleading and she does tell us how social behavior is decidedly variable and influenced by context and environment.
As I neared the end of this book, I worried that readers would be given some pseudo solution or false hope for solving the global vs personal cooperation/conflict we humans are facing big time. I was glad the author ended with a sane view about humanity’s uncertain future (e.g. think globally, act locally). The notes, references, and excellent index earned the book another star. In sum, this is definitely a five star book. Anyone interested in social behaviour should read it and enjoy.
As I neared the end of this book, I worried that readers would be given some pseudo solution or false hope for solving the global vs personal cooperation/conflict we humans are facing big time. I was glad the author ended with a sane view about humanity’s uncertain future (e.g. think globally, act locally). The notes, references, and excellent index earned the book another star. In sum, this is definitely a five star book. Anyone interested in social behaviour should read it and enjoy.
August 13, 2021
3.5/5
A very readable, if fairly introductory, look into the role of cooperation in evolution. For those who have studied any evolutionary biology (or even just read Dawkins), much of the book will feel like a rehash of familiar concepts. I was more interested by the third and fourth parts, which felt fresher as they took a zoomed-out look at the evolutionary implications of cooperation on a societal scale. Nevertheless, Raihani's writing was never dense or dull, and the examples of cooperation from all over the tree of life kept the first sections from being boring. This book got me back into Meerkat Manor
A very readable, if fairly introductory, look into the role of cooperation in evolution. For those who have studied any evolutionary biology (or even just read Dawkins), much of the book will feel like a rehash of familiar concepts. I was more interested by the third and fourth parts, which felt fresher as they took a zoomed-out look at the evolutionary implications of cooperation on a societal scale. Nevertheless, Raihani's writing was never dense or dull, and the examples of cooperation from all over the tree of life kept the first sections from being boring. This book got me back into Meerkat Manor
February 22, 2022
This was an interesting and stimulating read. I have read a lot of this before in other books -- I don't think there was much, if anything, new this book, other than the way the author puts the information together as a whole. She makes a clear and convincing case how cooperation evolved.
July 27, 2021
I enjoyed this book. It has everything I expect in good science writing: written in a conversational tone, with the science clearly explained, and topped off by a sense of humor. The subject matter could have been tedious, but Nichola Raihani’s well-paced writing brings the information to life. I also enjoyed the author's personal anecdotes. The footnotes, as well, are worth reading. Sometimes authors finish their nonfiction books by looking at broader issues and frequently these don’t appeal to me, but this book is an exception in that I found the ending particularly strong. Overall, this is a great book that is well worth the read. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader copy.
March 4, 2022
I loved this book. It is written so clearly and reads so easily, yet it covers a lot of really deep material, from cell biology to sociology with many steps in between.
I bookmarked the book after reading an article on BBC by this author about cooperative parenting and pandemic's effect on families. It sounded very intriguing, but the book delivered even more than I expected.
The author joked in the book that "people tell me I take altruism out of altruism". I have never thought about purely philosophical and "moral" traits as something that also comes from evolution and is a mean to survival. For me, this was an eye-opener and the real bridge between science and philosophy, or more exactly, scientific answers to philosophical questions. The two thoughts that I keep thinking after reading this book:
* How religion, or blind feverish faith in some ideology like communism, can be explained from the pure evolutionary perspective. The stricter your society punishes disbelievers, the more your survival depends on your faith. The more you doubt the word of the priest or the party official, the more likely you are to end up in jail or get killed. So here is an easy answer - believe as hard as you can. "Credo quia absurdum" ("I believe because it's absurd") is just looking for logic in a wrong place. I believe as a means to survival, and it doesn't matter what exactly I believe in. To me it explains the crazy support some dictators have in their countries - not supporting a dictator from the bottom of your heart is a detriment to the survival of the individual and the subconscious faith literally comes to the rescue.
* How hard it is to start a rebellion. Not only due to the "survival belief" effect, but how rebels stick out and get even less chance of survival. So instead of asking "why don't people rebel" we actually should be asking "what is the tipping point that the chances of individual survival become so low that even rebellion becomes worth it"?
There are small minuses in this book, the author is a bit too left leaning and reading about how "vegans are saving the planet" was kind of funny. She was sometimes demonstrating exactly the same traits she was trying to expose in her book as biased. But for me those moments were minor and didn't spoil the book as a whole.
I bookmarked the book after reading an article on BBC by this author about cooperative parenting and pandemic's effect on families. It sounded very intriguing, but the book delivered even more than I expected.
The author joked in the book that "people tell me I take altruism out of altruism". I have never thought about purely philosophical and "moral" traits as something that also comes from evolution and is a mean to survival. For me, this was an eye-opener and the real bridge between science and philosophy, or more exactly, scientific answers to philosophical questions. The two thoughts that I keep thinking after reading this book:
* How religion, or blind feverish faith in some ideology like communism, can be explained from the pure evolutionary perspective. The stricter your society punishes disbelievers, the more your survival depends on your faith. The more you doubt the word of the priest or the party official, the more likely you are to end up in jail or get killed. So here is an easy answer - believe as hard as you can. "Credo quia absurdum" ("I believe because it's absurd") is just looking for logic in a wrong place. I believe as a means to survival, and it doesn't matter what exactly I believe in. To me it explains the crazy support some dictators have in their countries - not supporting a dictator from the bottom of your heart is a detriment to the survival of the individual and the subconscious faith literally comes to the rescue.
* How hard it is to start a rebellion. Not only due to the "survival belief" effect, but how rebels stick out and get even less chance of survival. So instead of asking "why don't people rebel" we actually should be asking "what is the tipping point that the chances of individual survival become so low that even rebellion becomes worth it"?
There are small minuses in this book, the author is a bit too left leaning and reading about how "vegans are saving the planet" was kind of funny. She was sometimes demonstrating exactly the same traits she was trying to expose in her book as biased. But for me those moments were minor and didn't spoil the book as a whole.
July 29, 2021
Not really what I expected, but was still very interesting! Mostly about how cooperation came about evolutionarily and examples of cooperation in non-human animals.
September 19, 2021
Popular science. Quite well written. Thesis is that cooperation, not just competition, is at the heart of evolution. It thus refutes the dog eat dog perspective. Of course the cooperation she’s talking about allows each entity or species to have an advantage in terms of survival and population growth. She begins at the molecular level and works her way through cells, organisms, species and societies up to the beginnings of the Covid19 crisis in 2020. I learned a lot. Recommended. In fact one of my book clubs is taking it up.
August 8, 2022
Takeaways from reading the book:
Why do people cooperate?
- Page 1: Our social natures is the way out of the pandemic. For example, we help each other develop and distribute vaccines.
- Page 2: Cooperation is the reason that humans managed not just to survive but to thrive in almost every habitat of the earth.
- Page 59: Men are more willing to settle down and marry, when they are relatively abundant compared to women.
- Page 105: Grandparents cooperate / help because they have a vested generic interest in children produced by their child / children.
- Page 130: Spending money on others can help lower blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health.
- Page 132: People want to help their friends.
- Page 132: People, who score high on the personality dimension agreeableness, like to help to establish harmony.
- Page 133: As people find having sex pleasurable, it will help them to collaborate in having children.
- Page 141: When livestock are scarce for the Turkana people in Northern Kenya, they go on raids to steal cattle from others. A hundred men will be killed during a fight. Deserters will get beaten.
- Page 169: Among the Ache of Paraguay, those who shared a greater proportion of their food with others were more likely to receive help in periods when they were sick or otherwise unable to obtain food.
- Page 235: People will cooperate if it enables them to better compete.
- Page 241: Cooperation is a form of social insurance. It helps people not to get attacked and harmed. Also, it helps people get food.
Why do animals cooperate?
- Page 45: Emperor penguins live in large groups to stay warm.
- Page 45: The wilde-beest in East Africa live in large groups to protect themselves from lions.
- Page 204: For male chimpanzees, friendships to other males are important because it can help them improve their rank or gain access to females.
- Page 204: Female baboons benefit when they form friendships with unrelated males because it helps protect them and their offspring from other males.
How is cooperation strengthened by people helping each other voluntarily?
- Page 98: For babblers, cooperation means, for example, 1) looking out for predators, 2) protecting the nest and 3) providing offspring with food and tuition.
- Page 125: Only humans have institutions such as fire departments, which are dedicated to helping people. Other species do not.
- Page 125: Humans differ from other species by voluntarily helping people we are not related to, for example through donations.
- Page 125: Only humans have the ability to feel another person's pain - and to be motivated to alleviate this if we can. Other species do not.
- Page 133: Cooperation thrives when helpful people receive help in return. This is the principle of reciprocity. It is also known as the golden rule. Examples: 1. A bat, who donates blood one evening, is likely to be repaid another night. 2. The brightly colored rabbitfish, who live on coral reefs, take turns to look out for predators.
- Page 138: Interdependence can explain why cooperation thrives. Interdependence implies that you have a stake in the welfare of your partner. People voluntarily help those in need of something.
- Page 171: When seeking a sexual partner, both men and women prioritize kindness and loyalty. Men place an additional premium on fertility, which correlates with youth and attractiveness. Women prioritize attributes that signal status or resources. They prefer men, who are slightly older, and who are either wealthier or have greater earning potential.
- Page 172: A peacock's reproductive success depends on being chosen by the hen. Peahens choose the males, who have the largest tails and perform the showiest displays.
- Page 174: 12% of the people, who make donations over the Internet, choose to donate anonymously.
- Page 202: In 1787, pirate ships were typically owned by everyone. That enabled everyone to take care of the ship. Also, it strengthened democracy. A pirate captain only acted as decision maker in the time of battle. In all other matters there was democratic decision making. A pirate captain was democratically elected and replaced if he was not serving the best interests of the crew. Rules on pirate ships, which everyone was forced to comply with, included putting out lights at 8 o'clock and not beating each other onboard. These 3 cornerstones - democracy, separation of power and formal rules helped keep peace aboard pirate ships.
- Page 217: Beliefs function as signals of group membership and unlock social benefits. The social nature of beliefs prevents us from taking someone else's perspective.
- Page 227: The earliest forms of institutionalized leadership were likely to have been inclusive and democratic. Leaders were those people, who were best able to create consensus and coordinate actions. They were well liked and respected by group members.
- Page 241: If people in the society, where you live, focus their collaborative efforts on family and close friends, it is a rational strategy for you to do the same.
- Page 244: The COVID-19 crisis encouraged people to help each other and cooperate.
How is cooperation strengthened through hierarchy?
- Page 27: Cooperation within a group improves when that group competes against another group.
- Page 99: Specialization helps create efficiency. It is the principle upon which factory assembly lines are built.
- Page 145: Punishment promotes cooperation.
- Page 147: The threat of punishment can encourage cooperation. People cooperate to avoid getting punished.
- Page 163: Reputation systems, for example on digital platforms where people can give feedback using stars and comments, help people to cooperate.
- Page 202: To get sailors to cooperate on merchant ships, a captain was given authority by the ship owner to punish people. Example: The captain of the ship HMS Bounty punished sailors in 5 different ways in 1787: 1. By forcing them to make trips to places they had not been contracted to go to. 2. By restricting rations. 3. By reducing or holding back wages. 4. By tossing people overboard. 5. By beating them - sometimes to death.
- Page 231: Only in 2% of slave ships, slaves organized rebellions. 5 reasons: 1. Slaves were locked below deck and chained in pairs. 2. Captains populated ships with slaves from different ethnic groups - thereby making it difficult for slaves to communicate with each other. 3. Captains gave out barbaric punishments to rebels. 4. Organizing a rebellion required slaves to trust each other, so captains sowed distrust and suspicion among captives by offering freedom to any individual who spied on the other prisoners. 5. Captains increased numbers of captives on ships because that decreased the risk of rebellion. Why? The larger a group is, the less a difference an individual's contribution makes. In other words, the larger the groups of slaves were, the more individuals would wait for others to make the first, dangerous move.
Who raises children?
- Page 52: In all human societies the presence of a mother has more important consequences for the long-term development and survival of a child than the presence of a father.
- Page 74: Between the ages of 7 and 14, children frequently help take care of their younger sisters and brothers.
- Page 78: For most of our time on earth, children have been raised by multiple caregivers - including parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents as well as aunts and uncles. Increasingly, external caregivers / educators provide services for children / families.
- Page 79: One-parent caring of children and the other parent working is very unusual - both cross culturally and seen in a historical perspective.
- Page 107: The presence of a grandfather is, on average, less decisive for the long-term survival of his grandchildren than is the presence of a grandmother.
How do we learn?
- Page 92: Young chimps learn by observing and doing. Example: Cracking a nut with a rock.
- Page 93: To memorize a route, an ant must walk the route itself. The tutor waits for the ant to make different excursions before reaching the destination.
What is problematic about cooperation?
- Page 1: Our social natures got us into the pandemic, as the coronavirus crossed borders with us via planes and boats.
- Page 34: Wherever cooperation exists, there is potential for conflict.
- Pages 38 and 236: Cancer cells cooperate and outcompete other cells This cooperation among cancer cells results in severe consequences for the person.
- Page 235: Preferentially hiring a family member for a job is a cooperative interaction that involves help and trust. This cooperation produces costs for society.
In which situations do people focus on themselves?
- Page 45: Polar bears live mostly solitary lives.
- Page 117: If individuals can advance their own interests by competing with their relatives, they often do so.
- Page 168: Many hunters associated with the Hadza in Tanzania consume much of what they catch while away from the group or try to sneak the meat in after darkness to avoid having to share.
- Page 177: Before the age of 5, children don't care about what other people think of them.
- Page 124: In all of us is the individual urge to use talents and skills to rise just a little bit higher than the rest.
- Page 225: Most humans care about status and wealth.
Other research from the book:
- Page 108: Men can continue to have children until they are well into their seventies.
- Page 169: In the Martu of Western Australia the most successful hunters receive slightly less than everyone else around the fire. People choose to associate with the most generous hunters. Reputation is built on generosity. People place more emphasis on a person's willingness to share than on the person's ability to share.
- Page 189: Many people like to compare themselves with other people, for example regarding income. For many people, earning less than peers is so unpleasant that they are willing to sacrifice own resources to stop a social partner from getting more.
- Pages 192 - 197: Chimpanzees are the last common ancestor with humans. The average male chimpanzee interacts with about 20 other male chimpanzees in his life. Male chimpanzees aggressively seek status. They use coalitions to achieve dominance. Chimpanzees prefer to work alone and do not like to share. Chimpanzees do not seem to care about compensating individuals, who play a joint role in joint success.
- Page 193: To find food, human beings needed each other much more than chimpanzees need each other. The interdependence helped humans become much more effective at hunting than chimpanzees. From around 18 months old, a child will spontaneously help an adult achieve a goal - even without being asked and when there is no reward for doing so. Chimpanzees occasionally help but nowhere near as frequently as children. Chimpanzees focus on themselves.
- Page 211: People are more likely to experience paranoid thoughts if they have been bullied or have a small network.
- Page 236: Some of the most profound disagreements humans have with one another is how we should prioritize our nearest and dearest over other connections.
- Page 238: Conservatives focus more on / cooperate more with close connections such as family, immediate community and nation as opposed to focusing on distant connections and humanity as a whole. For liberals it is the opposite.
Why do people cooperate?
- Page 1: Our social natures is the way out of the pandemic. For example, we help each other develop and distribute vaccines.
- Page 2: Cooperation is the reason that humans managed not just to survive but to thrive in almost every habitat of the earth.
- Page 59: Men are more willing to settle down and marry, when they are relatively abundant compared to women.
- Page 105: Grandparents cooperate / help because they have a vested generic interest in children produced by their child / children.
- Page 130: Spending money on others can help lower blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health.
- Page 132: People want to help their friends.
- Page 132: People, who score high on the personality dimension agreeableness, like to help to establish harmony.
- Page 133: As people find having sex pleasurable, it will help them to collaborate in having children.
- Page 141: When livestock are scarce for the Turkana people in Northern Kenya, they go on raids to steal cattle from others. A hundred men will be killed during a fight. Deserters will get beaten.
- Page 169: Among the Ache of Paraguay, those who shared a greater proportion of their food with others were more likely to receive help in periods when they were sick or otherwise unable to obtain food.
- Page 235: People will cooperate if it enables them to better compete.
- Page 241: Cooperation is a form of social insurance. It helps people not to get attacked and harmed. Also, it helps people get food.
Why do animals cooperate?
- Page 45: Emperor penguins live in large groups to stay warm.
- Page 45: The wilde-beest in East Africa live in large groups to protect themselves from lions.
- Page 204: For male chimpanzees, friendships to other males are important because it can help them improve their rank or gain access to females.
- Page 204: Female baboons benefit when they form friendships with unrelated males because it helps protect them and their offspring from other males.
How is cooperation strengthened by people helping each other voluntarily?
- Page 98: For babblers, cooperation means, for example, 1) looking out for predators, 2) protecting the nest and 3) providing offspring with food and tuition.
- Page 125: Only humans have institutions such as fire departments, which are dedicated to helping people. Other species do not.
- Page 125: Humans differ from other species by voluntarily helping people we are not related to, for example through donations.
- Page 125: Only humans have the ability to feel another person's pain - and to be motivated to alleviate this if we can. Other species do not.
- Page 133: Cooperation thrives when helpful people receive help in return. This is the principle of reciprocity. It is also known as the golden rule. Examples: 1. A bat, who donates blood one evening, is likely to be repaid another night. 2. The brightly colored rabbitfish, who live on coral reefs, take turns to look out for predators.
- Page 138: Interdependence can explain why cooperation thrives. Interdependence implies that you have a stake in the welfare of your partner. People voluntarily help those in need of something.
- Page 171: When seeking a sexual partner, both men and women prioritize kindness and loyalty. Men place an additional premium on fertility, which correlates with youth and attractiveness. Women prioritize attributes that signal status or resources. They prefer men, who are slightly older, and who are either wealthier or have greater earning potential.
- Page 172: A peacock's reproductive success depends on being chosen by the hen. Peahens choose the males, who have the largest tails and perform the showiest displays.
- Page 174: 12% of the people, who make donations over the Internet, choose to donate anonymously.
- Page 202: In 1787, pirate ships were typically owned by everyone. That enabled everyone to take care of the ship. Also, it strengthened democracy. A pirate captain only acted as decision maker in the time of battle. In all other matters there was democratic decision making. A pirate captain was democratically elected and replaced if he was not serving the best interests of the crew. Rules on pirate ships, which everyone was forced to comply with, included putting out lights at 8 o'clock and not beating each other onboard. These 3 cornerstones - democracy, separation of power and formal rules helped keep peace aboard pirate ships.
- Page 217: Beliefs function as signals of group membership and unlock social benefits. The social nature of beliefs prevents us from taking someone else's perspective.
- Page 227: The earliest forms of institutionalized leadership were likely to have been inclusive and democratic. Leaders were those people, who were best able to create consensus and coordinate actions. They were well liked and respected by group members.
- Page 241: If people in the society, where you live, focus their collaborative efforts on family and close friends, it is a rational strategy for you to do the same.
- Page 244: The COVID-19 crisis encouraged people to help each other and cooperate.
How is cooperation strengthened through hierarchy?
- Page 27: Cooperation within a group improves when that group competes against another group.
- Page 99: Specialization helps create efficiency. It is the principle upon which factory assembly lines are built.
- Page 145: Punishment promotes cooperation.
- Page 147: The threat of punishment can encourage cooperation. People cooperate to avoid getting punished.
- Page 163: Reputation systems, for example on digital platforms where people can give feedback using stars and comments, help people to cooperate.
- Page 202: To get sailors to cooperate on merchant ships, a captain was given authority by the ship owner to punish people. Example: The captain of the ship HMS Bounty punished sailors in 5 different ways in 1787: 1. By forcing them to make trips to places they had not been contracted to go to. 2. By restricting rations. 3. By reducing or holding back wages. 4. By tossing people overboard. 5. By beating them - sometimes to death.
- Page 231: Only in 2% of slave ships, slaves organized rebellions. 5 reasons: 1. Slaves were locked below deck and chained in pairs. 2. Captains populated ships with slaves from different ethnic groups - thereby making it difficult for slaves to communicate with each other. 3. Captains gave out barbaric punishments to rebels. 4. Organizing a rebellion required slaves to trust each other, so captains sowed distrust and suspicion among captives by offering freedom to any individual who spied on the other prisoners. 5. Captains increased numbers of captives on ships because that decreased the risk of rebellion. Why? The larger a group is, the less a difference an individual's contribution makes. In other words, the larger the groups of slaves were, the more individuals would wait for others to make the first, dangerous move.
Who raises children?
- Page 52: In all human societies the presence of a mother has more important consequences for the long-term development and survival of a child than the presence of a father.
- Page 74: Between the ages of 7 and 14, children frequently help take care of their younger sisters and brothers.
- Page 78: For most of our time on earth, children have been raised by multiple caregivers - including parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents as well as aunts and uncles. Increasingly, external caregivers / educators provide services for children / families.
- Page 79: One-parent caring of children and the other parent working is very unusual - both cross culturally and seen in a historical perspective.
- Page 107: The presence of a grandfather is, on average, less decisive for the long-term survival of his grandchildren than is the presence of a grandmother.
How do we learn?
- Page 92: Young chimps learn by observing and doing. Example: Cracking a nut with a rock.
- Page 93: To memorize a route, an ant must walk the route itself. The tutor waits for the ant to make different excursions before reaching the destination.
What is problematic about cooperation?
- Page 1: Our social natures got us into the pandemic, as the coronavirus crossed borders with us via planes and boats.
- Page 34: Wherever cooperation exists, there is potential for conflict.
- Pages 38 and 236: Cancer cells cooperate and outcompete other cells This cooperation among cancer cells results in severe consequences for the person.
- Page 235: Preferentially hiring a family member for a job is a cooperative interaction that involves help and trust. This cooperation produces costs for society.
In which situations do people focus on themselves?
- Page 45: Polar bears live mostly solitary lives.
- Page 117: If individuals can advance their own interests by competing with their relatives, they often do so.
- Page 168: Many hunters associated with the Hadza in Tanzania consume much of what they catch while away from the group or try to sneak the meat in after darkness to avoid having to share.
- Page 177: Before the age of 5, children don't care about what other people think of them.
- Page 124: In all of us is the individual urge to use talents and skills to rise just a little bit higher than the rest.
- Page 225: Most humans care about status and wealth.
Other research from the book:
- Page 108: Men can continue to have children until they are well into their seventies.
- Page 169: In the Martu of Western Australia the most successful hunters receive slightly less than everyone else around the fire. People choose to associate with the most generous hunters. Reputation is built on generosity. People place more emphasis on a person's willingness to share than on the person's ability to share.
- Page 189: Many people like to compare themselves with other people, for example regarding income. For many people, earning less than peers is so unpleasant that they are willing to sacrifice own resources to stop a social partner from getting more.
- Pages 192 - 197: Chimpanzees are the last common ancestor with humans. The average male chimpanzee interacts with about 20 other male chimpanzees in his life. Male chimpanzees aggressively seek status. They use coalitions to achieve dominance. Chimpanzees prefer to work alone and do not like to share. Chimpanzees do not seem to care about compensating individuals, who play a joint role in joint success.
- Page 193: To find food, human beings needed each other much more than chimpanzees need each other. The interdependence helped humans become much more effective at hunting than chimpanzees. From around 18 months old, a child will spontaneously help an adult achieve a goal - even without being asked and when there is no reward for doing so. Chimpanzees occasionally help but nowhere near as frequently as children. Chimpanzees focus on themselves.
- Page 211: People are more likely to experience paranoid thoughts if they have been bullied or have a small network.
- Page 236: Some of the most profound disagreements humans have with one another is how we should prioritize our nearest and dearest over other connections.
- Page 238: Conservatives focus more on / cooperate more with close connections such as family, immediate community and nation as opposed to focusing on distant connections and humanity as a whole. For liberals it is the opposite.
August 21, 2021
A well written pop-sci book about the important (and frequently left-out) twin pillar of evolution, namely cooperation, and how it underlies all aspects of our being, from the micro all the way up to the macro.
The only disagreement I had with the author was with her refusal to call human groups super-organisms, in the same vein as ants or termites. She states that it’s only by the near-total suppression of self-interested behaviour that humans can be considered as such. But this doesn’t take into consideration the fact that humans have the ‘potential’ to be a superorganism and, indeed, history shows that that is the direction that we seem to be heading in. And I believe our belief in our super-organismic nature has implications for whether or not the potential becomes actual.
The only disagreement I had with the author was with her refusal to call human groups super-organisms, in the same vein as ants or termites. She states that it’s only by the near-total suppression of self-interested behaviour that humans can be considered as such. But this doesn’t take into consideration the fact that humans have the ‘potential’ to be a superorganism and, indeed, history shows that that is the direction that we seem to be heading in. And I believe our belief in our super-organismic nature has implications for whether or not the potential becomes actual.
January 21, 2022
If, like me, you are an avid reader of popular science - for example, books by Simon Winchester and Stephen Gould - I would highly recommend Nichola Raihani's The Social Instinct. Raihani is an academic psychologist who also trained as a zoologist. In this book, she combines these two disciplines to investigate how evolutionary "survival of the fittest" led humans, and other animals, to cooperate with one another. In the process, she helps the lay reader understand the latest thinking about evolution in an easily understood and entertaining manner. Throughout, she draws on her extensive experience in the field, from the Kalahari desert to Australia's Pacific islands, to provide illuminating examples of how zoologists have developed and tested creative experiments to examine their hypotheses.
To me the most thought-provoking section of the book came from her argument that the individual members of an ant colony are analogous to the individual cells in a human body. In the same way that our cells have become so specialised that they cannot survive outside of the body, each type of ant within the colony is completely specialised to its task. The result is that the ant colony acts very much like a body.
Other sections of the book explain how cancer cells, which act to kill their hosts, can evolve in the face of *survival* of the fittest; how empathy helps humans to evolve beyond their primate ancestors; and why humans are one of the few species to experience menopause.
To me the most thought-provoking section of the book came from her argument that the individual members of an ant colony are analogous to the individual cells in a human body. In the same way that our cells have become so specialised that they cannot survive outside of the body, each type of ant within the colony is completely specialised to its task. The result is that the ant colony acts very much like a body.
Other sections of the book explain how cancer cells, which act to kill their hosts, can evolve in the face of *survival* of the fittest; how empathy helps humans to evolve beyond their primate ancestors; and why humans are one of the few species to experience menopause.
July 13, 2021
I picked up this book hoping to get some new insights. I read Richard Dawkin's book and i also read the classic response to it by Rupert Sheldrake the Science Illusion. I don't know where to place this book. The author puts forward many complexities and seems to be sitting on the fence. There is no clear message in terms of is this a view that supports nurture or nature perspective on evolution. The fact that everything is connected and that the materialistic view of the world no longer holds, is well-supported by science but how does this book advance our understnadings? I would think that a more modern view on cooperation would incorporate technology and all the connections we have thanks to internet but was missing some kind of scientific breakthrough. (the writing style was engaging though so i gave it three stars)
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