This book will take you on a different kind of ride to what it means to be fully human. Psychologist Douglas Kenrick makes the case for how evolutionary psychology and cognitive science fuse to tell us what makes humans tick, but does so by coming in through our dark, back doors. I find this idea intriguing, ….and read with interest as Kenrick intelligently explains why we need to look at the dark in us squarely in the eye in order to see the light–look at what’s in our gutter in order to see our gifts.
Kenrick uses colorful stories from his own life to make his points, from his rowdy Irish relatives, his rebellious youth to his broken marriages. His will bring stories from your own life to mind. Noah Goldstein, author of Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive, sums excellently sums up Kenrick’s work: “His crisp and witty writing, and his willingness to put scientific correctness before political correctness, will make readers think, laugh, and blush all at the same time.”
Kenrick is a professor of social psychology at Arizona State University, and has done a good deal of brave research on topics like homicidal fantasies and one-night stands, which major media has gobbled up. Kenrick has also appeared in BBC and Discovery Channel documentaries on sexual attraction and evolution. In Sex, Murder and the Meaning of Life, with a style all of his own, Kenrick comes in the dark back door of great psychology books, and continues to take on provocative paths to more fully understand human nature.
