The Social Animal: A Story of How Success Happens
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Review
The book everyone's talking about --The Guardian
A fascinating study of the unconscious mind and its impact on our lives... --The Economist
Brooks gets inside the head, explains how the brain works... it s like frieze-framing a novel and discussing the motivation of the characters. Fascinating... --The Evening Standard
At Westminster they should be listening hard. --The Times
A spirited and engaging book, true in its ambition and liveliness... it offers a sense of the very real limits of the assumptions that we westerners bring to life, and the possibility of radically better, more 'realistic' ways of living. --The Observer
A well-written and engaging tour d'horizon of much of the literature on brain development, male-female relationships and what factors cause people to live happy live... Readers will learn a great deal. --The Washington Times
David Brooks is one of the most prominent public intellectuals of our time, known for, among other things, his playful dissections of the lifestyles of the American elite. Here he is chasing bigger game. The Social Animal is about the modern life of our species. It explores attachment, parenting, schooling, love, family, culture, achievement, marriage, politics, morality, aging, death and much more... Brooks is a sharp, clear and often very funny writer. --The Washington Post
Sensational... The book is appealing in many ways, not the least of which is Brooks' ability to synthesize vast amounts of research and present it in a fashion that calls to mind the hilarious social satire of Tom Wolfe... it aims to change our understanding of how we function and conduct our lives. At the least, it will deepen your regard for the marvel that is the human brain. --The Philadelphia Inquirer
An uncommonly brilliant blend of sociology, intellect and allegory. --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Truly the best road map for living one's life that I have ever read... It should absolutely be on the required reading list of every MBA program... Trust me, this is a book of 'large ideas'. --Kansas City Business Journal
Brooks has done well to draw such vivid attention to the wide implications of the accumulated research on the mind and the triggers of human behaviour. --The Economist
This is a spirited and engaging book, true in its ambition and liveliness. Brooks writes excellently. The Social Animal offers a sense of the very real limits of the assumptions that we westerners bring to life, and the possibility of radically better, more "realistic" ways of living. --Ben Rogers
The most stimulating book I read this year... The implications for social policy are dramatic --Brian Ashcroft, Book of the Year - Scotland on Sunday
A fascinating study of the unconscious mind and its impact on our lives... --The Economist
Brooks gets inside the head, explains how the brain works... it s like frieze-framing a novel and discussing the motivation of the characters. Fascinating... --The Evening Standard
At Westminster they should be listening hard. --The Times
A spirited and engaging book, true in its ambition and liveliness... it offers a sense of the very real limits of the assumptions that we westerners bring to life, and the possibility of radically better, more 'realistic' ways of living. --The Observer
A well-written and engaging tour d'horizon of much of the literature on brain development, male-female relationships and what factors cause people to live happy live... Readers will learn a great deal. --The Washington Times
David Brooks is one of the most prominent public intellectuals of our time, known for, among other things, his playful dissections of the lifestyles of the American elite. Here he is chasing bigger game. The Social Animal is about the modern life of our species. It explores attachment, parenting, schooling, love, family, culture, achievement, marriage, politics, morality, aging, death and much more... Brooks is a sharp, clear and often very funny writer. --The Washington Post
Sensational... The book is appealing in many ways, not the least of which is Brooks' ability to synthesize vast amounts of research and present it in a fashion that calls to mind the hilarious social satire of Tom Wolfe... it aims to change our understanding of how we function and conduct our lives. At the least, it will deepen your regard for the marvel that is the human brain. --The Philadelphia Inquirer
An uncommonly brilliant blend of sociology, intellect and allegory. --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Truly the best road map for living one's life that I have ever read... It should absolutely be on the required reading list of every MBA program... Trust me, this is a book of 'large ideas'. --Kansas City Business Journal
Brooks has done well to draw such vivid attention to the wide implications of the accumulated research on the mind and the triggers of human behaviour. --The Economist
This is a spirited and engaging book, true in its ambition and liveliness. Brooks writes excellently. The Social Animal offers a sense of the very real limits of the assumptions that we westerners bring to life, and the possibility of radically better, more "realistic" ways of living. --Ben Rogers
The most stimulating book I read this year... The implications for social policy are dramatic --Brian Ashcroft, Book of the Year - Scotland on Sunday
Product Description
How do we achieve success? Are some people more likely than others to end up in a good relationship? With a happy family life? A rewarding career?
Forget everything you thought you knew about happiness and fulfilment. Let David Brooks take you on a journey - an adventure in the unconscious. It will change the way you see yourself, and the world.
In the past 30 years we have learnt more about the human brain than in the previous 3000 - a scientific revolution has occurred. The unconscious mind, it turns out, is most of the mind - the place where the majority of the brain's work gets done, where our most important life decisions are made, where character is formed and the seeds of accomplishment grow.
In this illuminating and compelling book, David Brooks weaves a vast array of new research into the lives of two fictional characters, Harold and Erica, following them from infancy to old age. In so doing, he reveals a fundamental new understanding of human nature. He outlines a new definition of success, highlighting what economists call non-cognitive skills - those hidden qualities that can't be easily counted or measured, but which in real life lead to happiness and fulfilment.
The Social Animal is a moving and nuanced intellectual adventure. Impossible to put down, it is an essential book for our time - one that will have a broad social impact and change the way we see ourselves and the world.
Forget everything you thought you knew about happiness and fulfilment. Let David Brooks take you on a journey - an adventure in the unconscious. It will change the way you see yourself, and the world.
In the past 30 years we have learnt more about the human brain than in the previous 3000 - a scientific revolution has occurred. The unconscious mind, it turns out, is most of the mind - the place where the majority of the brain's work gets done, where our most important life decisions are made, where character is formed and the seeds of accomplishment grow.
In this illuminating and compelling book, David Brooks weaves a vast array of new research into the lives of two fictional characters, Harold and Erica, following them from infancy to old age. In so doing, he reveals a fundamental new understanding of human nature. He outlines a new definition of success, highlighting what economists call non-cognitive skills - those hidden qualities that can't be easily counted or measured, but which in real life lead to happiness and fulfilment.
The Social Animal is a moving and nuanced intellectual adventure. Impossible to put down, it is an essential book for our time - one that will have a broad social impact and change the way we see ourselves and the world.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
***** (5 stars)
AN ENTERTAINING, FUNNY BOOK THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
A friend of mine recommended The Social Animal, and I have to say I was skeptical; it seemed to me that David Brooks wasn't saying anything new, and the characters sounded pretty annoying.
But then I heard him on The Today Programme on BBC Radio 4, and was impressed and intrigued, I then went on Amazon and really liked the cover, so I bought it on a whim. And it turns out I was completely wrong! For one thing, David Brooks writes brilliantly - unusually for a political journalist, he's incredibly funny. I found myself genuinely laughing out loud at certain points in the book, which I don't do very much. And he makes everything very clear, so that even someone like me can understand it!!!
But, more importantly, what he actually says is fascinating. He says that the human mind "can take in 11 million pieces of information at any given moment. The most generous estimate is that people can be consciously aware of forty of these... Measured at its highest potential, the conscious mind still has a processing capacity 200,000 times weaker than the unconscious." Which is pretty amazing. And our unconscious mind is created by the relationships we have throughout life. Our success in life is governed by our unconsciousness, and if we can nurture good relationships with other people, then we can be more successful. He shows how we can do all these things, and then goes on to say that governments should focus more on allowing people to have good relationships with each other, than on things like the economy. He says emotional happiness is more important than being rich, and that if governments want to create a happy society, they should do more to get people happy than to make them rich.
All in all, The Social Animal by David Brooks is an extremely entertaining read, with an important point to make, which has the potential to make things better for all of us! And there's no-one better to make it than David Brooks.
AN ENTERTAINING, FUNNY BOOK THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
A friend of mine recommended The Social Animal, and I have to say I was skeptical; it seemed to me that David Brooks wasn't saying anything new, and the characters sounded pretty annoying.
But then I heard him on The Today Programme on BBC Radio 4, and was impressed and intrigued, I then went on Amazon and really liked the cover, so I bought it on a whim. And it turns out I was completely wrong! For one thing, David Brooks writes brilliantly - unusually for a political journalist, he's incredibly funny. I found myself genuinely laughing out loud at certain points in the book, which I don't do very much. And he makes everything very clear, so that even someone like me can understand it!!!
But, more importantly, what he actually says is fascinating. He says that the human mind "can take in 11 million pieces of information at any given moment. The most generous estimate is that people can be consciously aware of forty of these... Measured at its highest potential, the conscious mind still has a processing capacity 200,000 times weaker than the unconscious." Which is pretty amazing. And our unconscious mind is created by the relationships we have throughout life. Our success in life is governed by our unconsciousness, and if we can nurture good relationships with other people, then we can be more successful. He shows how we can do all these things, and then goes on to say that governments should focus more on allowing people to have good relationships with each other, than on things like the economy. He says emotional happiness is more important than being rich, and that if governments want to create a happy society, they should do more to get people happy than to make them rich.
All in all, The Social Animal by David Brooks is an extremely entertaining read, with an important point to make, which has the potential to make things better for all of us! And there's no-one better to make it than David Brooks.
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Buy this book if you liked any of Freakonomics, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, and Freedom by Johnathan Franzen.
David Brooks is incredibly perceptive. The artful way in which he uses a fictional story to contextualise his analysis about why some succeed, why some don't, why we fall in love and how, why some people always seem to be unlucky in life and why others seem to be blessed with good fortune, is smart and sublime. Brooks also offers his analysis of public policy problems, such as why inner city deprivation is so difficult to fix, and why just spending more money on schools won't automatically make schools better.
Brooks writes with great verve and style, and the book is very easy to read - I finished it in about 3 days.
Get this book if you are interested in society, the world, public policy, and why you behave the way that you do. Fascinating.
David Brooks is incredibly perceptive. The artful way in which he uses a fictional story to contextualise his analysis about why some succeed, why some don't, why we fall in love and how, why some people always seem to be unlucky in life and why others seem to be blessed with good fortune, is smart and sublime. Brooks also offers his analysis of public policy problems, such as why inner city deprivation is so difficult to fix, and why just spending more money on schools won't automatically make schools better.
Brooks writes with great verve and style, and the book is very easy to read - I finished it in about 3 days.
Get this book if you are interested in society, the world, public policy, and why you behave the way that you do. Fascinating.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I don't read much non fiction but was recommended this book and have found it absolutely fascinating. The author uses a story of two people and follows them from before their births and through their lives, studying their every move and decision as ruled by their unconscious minds. I've learnt so much but didn't find it at all difficult to absorb. It has made me think about the way I act in a different light and has particularly affected my view of parenting, so I would recommend it even if this isn't your usual sort of thing.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Aha!
I have mind tidying moments best characterised by the word "Aha!".
This book has all of the strengths described by fellow reviewers and also all of the flaws. Read more
This book has all of the strengths described by fellow reviewers and also all of the flaws. Read more
Published 5 days ago by Mwmbwls
OK, but doesn't fulfil its promises
This is an interesting and at times fun book, although it is flawed through excessive use of research which is often not needed. Read more
Published 28 days ago by S. Ford
Good information, but far too drawn out
I think the main points of this book could have been reached with much less background story. It get's a bit tiresome to read after a while, even though it is quite easy to digest.
Published 1 month ago by luv40aces17
flawed potential classic
this book starts out by mixing the story of a couple with fascinating research on evolution and behaviourism. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Robert Wilson
Wading through mud to find bits of gold
It's hard to have a go at a book, which the author puts many months of effort into, and consults many people about. But this I found an infuriating and annoying book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. G. Lawrence
Entering a NEW Golden Era of Enlightenment ?
If you are actually interested in the way the world of human beings works in the 21st Century, and you want to get some insights into how you can better interact and play your part... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Le Jeep
A good story, well told, but nothing new
A vaguely interesting book that puts a lot accessible human psychology into a story format that follows the development of a child from before conception to death. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Robin L. Stacpoole
Great Idea, but does not work
A great idea for a book and some interesting facts, but padded out with lots of irrelevant anecdotes that seemed to serve no other purpose than to show how clever the author is. Read more
Published 3 months ago by ukwinterwonder
Interesting science book, a very poor novel
It's a strange thing, this book. The author has copious amounts of very interesting research to share with us on many aspects of human development and interaction, but for some... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Headhunter
The Social Animal - Life Changing
I have long been interested in why we humans do what we do. I was given a book token for my birthday this month and found this book by chance in Waterstones. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jacqui Cooper
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