The Social Animal：The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement

Withunequaledinsightandbrio,DavidBrooks,theNewYorkTimescolumnistandbestsellingauthorofBobosinParadise,haslongexploredandexplainedthewaywelive.Now,withtheintellectualcuriosityandemotionalwisdomthatmakehiscolumnsamongthemostreadinthenation,Brooksturnstothebuildingblocksofhumanflourishinginamultilayered,profoundlyilluminatingworkgroundedineverydaylife.Thisisthestoryofhowsuccesshappens.ItistoldthroughthelivesofonecompositeAmericancouple,HaroldandErica—howtheygrow,pushforward,arepulledback,fail,andsucceed.Distillingavastarrayofinformationintothesetwovividlyrealizedcharacters,Brooksillustratesafundamentalnewunderstandingofhumannature.Ascientificrevolutionhasoccurred—wehavelearnedmoreaboutthehumanbraininthelastthirtyyearsthanwehadinthepreviousthreethousand.Theunconsciousmind,itturnsout,ismostofthemind—notadark,vestigialplacebutacreativeandenchantedone,wheremostofthebrain'sworkgetsdone.Thisistherealmofemotions,intuitions,biases,longings,geneticpredispositions,personalitytraits,andsocialnorms:therealmwherecharacterisformedandwhereourmostimportantlifedecisionsaremade.ThenaturalhabitatofTheSocialAnimal.Drawingonawealthofcurrentresearchfromnumerousdisciplines,BrookstakesHaroldandEricafrominfancytoschool;fromthe"odysseyyears"thathavecometodefineyoungadulthoodtothehighwallsofpoverty;fromthenatureofattachment,love,andcommitment,tothenatureofeffectiveleadership.Herevealsthedeeplysocialaspectofourverymindsandexposesthebiasinmodernculturethatoveremphasizesrationalism,individualism,andIQ.Alongtheway,hedemolishesconventionaldefinitionsofsuccesswhilelookingtowardaculturebasedontrustandhumility.TheSocialAnimalisamovingandnuancedintellectualadventure,astoryofachievementandadefenseofprogress.Impossibletoputdown,itisanessentialbookforourtime,onethatwillhavebroadsocialimpactandwillchangethewayweseeourselvesandtheworld.