- Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: Faber and Faber; New ed edition (20 May 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0571173977
- ISBN-13: 978-0571173976
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.4 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 610,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language
and over 900,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Did mankind evolve unusually large brains simply in order to gossip? Primates differ from other animals by the intensity of their social relationships, by the amount of time they spend grooming one another. Not just a matter of hygiene, grooming is all about cementing bonds, making friends and influencing your fellow ape. Early humans, in their characteristic large groups of 150 or so, would have had to spend almost half their time in mutual grooming. Instead, Professor Robin Dunbar argues, they evolved a more efficient mechanism: language. It seems there is nothing idle about idle chatter. Having a good gossip ensures that a dynamic group - of hunter-gatherers, soldiers, workmates - remains cohesive. Men and women 'gossip' equally, but men tend to talk about themselves, while women talk more about other people, working to strengthen the female-female relationships that underpin both human and primate societies. Until now, most anthropologists have assumed that language developed in male-male relationships, during activities such as hunting. Dunbar's intriguing research suggests that, to the contrary, language evolved among women.
About the Author
Robin Dunbar is currently Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford University and a Fellow of Magdalen College. His principal research interest is the evolution of sociality. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1998. His books include The Trouble with Science, 'an eloquent riposte to the anti-science lobby' (Sunday Times), and Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language. The Human Story was described as 'fizzing with recent research and new theories' in the Sunday Times and 'punchy and provocative' by the New Scientist. How Many Friends Does One Person Need?: Dunbar's Number and Other Evolutionary Quirks was published in 2010.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language (Paperback)
This book is really interesting and gives a fascinating insight into how networking and social 'grooming' (and I don't mean dressing presentably in public!) are not only essential but important for our personal safety and survival... look how easy it is to perpetrate crimes against, or renege on deals with, people to whom we have no loyalty ties: Dunbars' example is the taxman! Despite a tendency to reduce human existence to Machiavellian self-interest and propogation of the species, Dunbar makes some very pertinent points and shows how similar we are in many respects to our primate cousins. The true value of this book, however, lies in Dunbar's explanation for the evolution of language in our species. It is a fairly academic read and heavy going at times but well worth the effort. Highly recommended for all 'seekers' of knowledge about the human condition; though I would suggest the childless-by-choice, and/or those with a higher sense of purpose, among us temper any ensuing existential neurosis by reading it in conjunction with The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield!
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly thought provoking and insightful,
By paul.ventisei@tesco.net (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language (Paperback)
This book examines the origin of language in a way that helps you understand why we talk about the things we do. I have found this a useful way to help me understand behaviour of frends, family and workmates.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book I've ever read....,
By A Customer
This review is from: Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language (Paperback)
A fascinating read where the topics of animal behaviour and summaries of research meet human psychology. I'm glad it was recommended to me!!!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Psychology & Psychiatry > Comparative Psychology
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Self Help > Practical & Motivational
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Philosophy
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Linguistics > Historical & Comparative Linguistics
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Linguistics > Reference
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Linguistics > Sociolinguistics
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
