Overview

Sharing stories and advice rooted in the science of evolutionary psychology, father and son authors Doug Kenrick and David Lundberg-Kenrick pinpoint the dangers of stone-age problem solving for our lives today, and present a new, systematic way to survive and be happy in the modern world. Over millennia, we humans have evolved a set of motivational systems to help us solve the seven basic problems of existence: surviving, protecting ourselves from dangerous others, forming friendships, winning respect, attracting mates, hanging onto mates, and caring for our families. We seek the same goals in the 21st century. However, the saber-tooth tigers and rival tribes that once threatened us have been replaced by marketers peddling sugar-laden foods, pundits fanning the culture war flames, and payday loan companies scamming those who can least afford it. Through a series of engaging narratives and science-based life tips, this book helps us see past our electronics and lattes and gain helpful insights into achieving the life we want.

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9781433834783

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Reviews

A terrific book and a lively read. Evolutionary psychology has matured as a science with important real world applications for improving the quality of life; the book captures these with the best scientific evidence and superbly engaging stories of real lives. It's a must-read.--David Buss, PhD, University of Texas at Austin Department of Psychology, Austin, TX, United States; author of Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind, and of The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating This book redesigns Maslow's classic pyramid of human needs and flips the script on every life advice book you've ever read. Its revolutionary insights show how to be more effective in the seven arenas of your life that really matter.--Robert B. Cialdini, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Marketing and Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States; author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, and of Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade Doug Kenrick is no ordinary professor, and this is no ordinary book. Blending the hard-won lessons of a misspent youth and a brilliant career in the lab, Kenrick and his polymath progeny have written the book that Darwin and Maslow would have dreamed up had they only met. Great fun and hugely insightful! --William Von Hippel, PhD, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia; author of The Social Leap: The New Evolutionary Science of Who We Are, Where We Come from, and What Makes Us Happy I loved this book! Solving Modern Problems With a Stone-Age Brain is one part textbook, one part self-help manual. It addresses some of the most important questions facing people in our modern world with humor, compassion, and (most importantly!) solid science. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to better understand themselves and why it can be so hard to be happy. Filled with an abundance of research-backed solutions for avoiding the pitfalls of contemporary living, this book will make you look at yourself differently. --Sarah E. Hill, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, United States Kenrick and Lundberg-Kenrick have written a mind-opening and captivating book about what it means to be human. What can we learn from our ancestors and from the science of evolutionary and positive psychology to bring out the better angels of our nature? Full of little gems of revealing stories, research studies, insights, and practical advice, their book will yield insights into your own motivation and behavior, and help you be wiser, happier, and more successful in your everyday life. --Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States; author of The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want Kenrick and Lundberg-Kenrick provide a truly new and unique vantage point--through the science of evolutionary psychology--to better understand what makes people do the things they do in the workplace and beyond, and how you can do them more effectively yourself. --Noah Goldstein, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management, Los Angeles, CA, United States; coauthor of Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive The Kenricks' recommendations for how to live well are classic and wise, but they are also fresh. By embedding their advice in psychological research, this thoughtful father-and-son team appeals to a generation disaffected with traditional rationales. Solving Modern Problems With a Stone-Age Brain offers a well-informed recipe for an enlightened social life.--Richard Wrangham, PhD, Professor of Biological Anthropology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States; author of Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human, and of The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution This book is a great introduction to evolutionary psychology, a handy and useful handbook of practical advice, and a delightfully touching father-and-son collaborative tale. --Jim Allen, PhD, author of The Psychology of Happiness in the Modern World: A Social Psychological Approach

A terrific book and a lively read. Evolutionary psychology has matured as a science with important real world applications for improving the quality of life; the book captures these with the best scientific evidence and superbly engaging stories of real lives. It's a must-read.--David Buss, PhD, University of Texas at Austin Department of Psychology; author of Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind, and of The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating This book redesigns Maslow's classic pyramid of human needs and flips the script on every life advice book you've ever read. Its revolutionary insights show how to be more effective in the seven arenas of your life that really matter.--Robert B. Cialdini, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Marketing and Psychology, Arizona State University; author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, and Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade Doug Kenrick is no ordinary professor, and this is no ordinary book. Blending the hard-won lessons of a misspent youth and a brilliant career in the lab, Kenrick and his polymath progeny have written the book that Darwin and Maslow would have dreamed up had they only met. Great fun and hugely insightful! --William Von Hippel, PhD, University of Queensland, St. Lucia; author of The Social Leap: The New Evolutionary Science of Who We Are, Where We Come from, and What Makes Us Happy I loved this book! Solving Modern Problems With a Stone-Age Brain is one part textbook, one part self-help manual. It addresses some of the most important questions facing people in our modern world with humor, compassion, and (most importantly!) solid science. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to better understand themselves and why it can be so hard to be happy. Filled with an abundance of research-backed solutions for avoiding the pitfalls of contemporary living, this book will make you look at yourself differently. --Sarah E. Hill, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University Kenrick and Lundberg-Kenrick have written a mind-opening and captivating book about what it means to be human. What can we learn from our ancestors and from the science of evolutionary and positive psychology to bring out the better angels of our nature? Full of little gems of revealing stories, research studies, insights, and practical advice, their book will yield insights into your own motivation and behavior, and help you be wiser, happier, and more successful in your everyday life. --Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside; author of The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want Kenrick and Lundberg-Kenrick provide a truly new and unique vantage point--through the science of evolutionary psychology--to better understand what makes people do the things they do in the workplace and beyond, and how you can do them more effectively yourself. --Noah Goldstein, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management; coauthor of Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive The Kenricks' recommendations for how to live well are classic and wise, but they are also fresh. By embedding their advice in psychological research, this thoughtful father-and-son team appeals to a generation disaffected with traditional rationales. Solving Modern Problems With a Stone-Age Brain offers a well-informed recipe for an enlightened social life.--Richard Wrangham, PhD, Professor of Biological Anthropology, Harvard University; author of Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human, and The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution This book is a great introduction to evolutionary psychology, a handy and useful handbook of practical advice, and a delightfully touching father-and-son collaborative tale. --Jim Allen, PhD, author of The Psychology of Happiness in the Modern World: A Social Psychological Approach

Author Information

Douglas T. Kenrick is author of The Rational Animal and Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life. He has published over 200 scientific articles, books, and chapters, the majority applying evolutionary ideas to human behavior and thought processes. His textbook Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction, with Steven Neuberg, Robert Cialdini, and David Lundberg-Kenrick, is now in its 7th edition. He has appeared in numerous documentaries and the Oprah Winfrey Show, and written for The New York Times and Scientific American. His Psychology Today blog, titled “Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life,” has been visited by 4.6 million readers.   David Lundberg-Kenrick is Media Outreach Director for the Arizona State University psychology department, managing a new program called “Psych for Life,” which connects psychological research to problems we all face every day. Dave studied film production at New York University and UT Austin, and shot footage for BBC, Discovery Channel, and SBS Australia, as well filming the founding members of the field of evolutionary psychology for HBES. He is coauthor of Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction, 7e, for which he produced videos in which researchers from around the world share their findings in a lively animated format.  

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