The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement Paperback – January 3, 2012

I must be the ideal audience for this book because I found it to be a wonderful mix of great writing, new ideas, and interesting information.The goals of Brooks' book are "to synthesize [recent scientific] findings into one narrative... to describe how this research influences the way we understand human nature... to draw out the social, political, and moral implications of these findings."He achieves the goal of aggregating the research admirably. I don't consider myself well read on brain and cognitive sciences but I read several science blogs and had encountered many of the info-bites he introduces, many of which are extremely recent. A random sampling of research results he mentions:"six-month-old babies can spot the different facial features of different monkeyse, even though, to adults, [the monkeys] all look the same.""Anthropologists tell us that all cultures distinguish colors. When they do, all cultures begin with words for white and black. If the culture adds a word for a third color, it is always red."Brookes uses a device of narrating the lives of 2 invented people, Erica and Harold. For example, to illustrate ideas on decision making, he introduces Erica's coworker Raymond whose "knowledge of his own shortcomings was encyclopedic. He knew he had trouble comparing more than two options at a time... so he would build brackets and move from one binary comparison to the next. He knew he liked hearing evidence that confirmed his opinions, so he asked Erica and others to give him the counterevidence first," etc. After describing a situation within the context of the narrative, Brooks jumps in to elaborate with more information. I feared this tactic would be too forced and would thereby fall on its face but he actually pulls it off! He binds up all the ideas in a cohesive story that has surprisingly sympathetic characters and a completely unexpectedly interesting character-driven plot.Brooks uses his characters' lives and personalities to illustrate his ideas. One theme that arises is that rational thought is far from the dominant component of human reality: "Unaware of what is going on deep down inside, the conscious mind assigns itself the starring role... people are still blind to the way unconscious affections and aversions shape daily life." Underestimating the importance of culture in forming the subconscious and thus human behaviors causes the government to misdirect their energies, focusing on "money and guns" rather than community. Brooks argues for a more paternalistic government that shapes culture: "You can pump money into poor areas, but without cultures that foster self-control, you won't get social mobility... You can establish elections but without responsible citizens, democracy won't flourish... it was not enough to secure a village; they had to hold it so that people could feel safe, they had to build schools, medical facilites, courts, and irrigation ditches; they had to reconvene town councils... the hardest political activity- warfare- depended on the softest social skills- listening, understanding, and building trust."Brooks' characteristic writing style is funny, engaging, and smart, but sometimes sarcastic and intentionally provokative/offensive. Example: "Like most upper- amd upper-middle-class children, these kids are really good at obscure sports. Centuries ago, members of the educated class discovered that they could no longer compete in football, baseball, and basketball, so they stole lacrosse from the American Indians to give them something to dominate." I'd seen this style of soft science writing before, most recently in a book called Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior. Brooks manages to keep his punchiness sparse enough that I don't tire of it but if that style doesn't appeal to you, you may want to steer clear.At times Brooks writes beautifully, surprising me with his poetic phrasing, so for me this book also holds artistic value. In writing about the human mind, he explores happiness and the meaning of life, pulling from sources ranging from Walt Whitman to Poincare. Describing Harold's impending death, he writes, "his wife and his nurses served him with a care, patience, and devotion that surpassed all expectation. Their efforts were more dear to him because he knew that he could never repay them... It was hard at first to simply fall backward into their love."This book is great for someone who's interested in the human mind and wants an incomplete overview of recent developments in that area. It's also great for people who are interested in a unique perspective on how human nature relates to society and politics. Keep in mind Brooks is not a scientist- he's a journalist interested in culture and he uses various studies to inform his view but does not analyze the science. This book does not offer deep analysis of studies, nor does it come close to being exhaustive in its depiction of all the research done in this field.

I find that some of the most enlightening and enjoyable books come when an intelligent author that I trust studies a topic extensively and delivers facts, thoughts, and practical applications. That is what this book is to me. If you have interest in the topic of how the subconscious and conscious mind combine to create the perceptions and thoughts that define your world and how people behave in it, then this book may be for you. I personally came into this book with relatively little knowledge on the topic, though it is something that I have recently been thinking about quite a bit. It seems as if this is a topic that Brooks has spent many years studying and pondering. Whatever you may think of David Brooks or his politics, you would be hard pressed to describe him as anything short of a very intelligent man and, as much as one can trust a writer from merely reading their work and watching their commentary, I trust Brooks as an honest and forthright man so, though I cannot speak to the accuracy of his interpretations of the research, I am inclined to trust it. If you are an expert in this field, maybe you would find significant misinterpretations or omissions in Brooks use of technical aspects of this book, but that is not something that I, as a layman, can determine. Unless I read any specific complaints from an expert, I am willing to highly recommend this book to both friends and the Amazon community.Let me make one point to ensure you are getting what you expect: This book contains the life stories of two fictional characters, but that part of the book only exists as a method for Brooks to deliver his message. This book is not about the characters but rather it is about what Brooks has learned from his study of research on the human brain. Thought I think this format allows Brooks to reach a broader audience, I didn't find the fiction to be the strength of the book. You shouldn't be buying this book for the value or quality of the fictional aspects.This book is though provoking, and I genuinely feel that it changed my view of how my own mind works. I expect that I will consider things that this book introduced me to on a regular basis and sometimes in practical aspects of my life. When a book is an interesting read and genuinely changes ones view of themselves and how their body and mind function, then how can one give it less than 5 stars?

Great read, story and psychologically interesting and entertaining. I haven't even finished but have already given it as a gift.

A very well written and insightful book. Well researched by the author.

I bought one and the printing was so blurry that I thought there is something wrong with my eyes. Returned that one got a second one. Still has same issue. Now I’m stuck with it. Really really bad. Not worth the money

David Brooks has done a magnificent job of weaving together the story of the everyday lives of Harold and Erica all the while educating the reader with the behind the scenes science of why Harold and Erica do what they do and guiding the reader to the realization that they do the same things. His wit is sharp, insightful and hilarious. It was a thoroughly enjoyable journey into the myriad of sights, sounds, tastes and feelings of what makes our relationships so darn special.

Devoured this book in just a few days. An interesting look at life. Could not put it down and immediatly ordered more David Brooks books after finishing this one. A fabulous read for a student of sociology or of life, for that matter.