The Social Animal
The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement
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The Social Animal
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Narrated by:
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Arthur Morey
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By:
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David Brooks
About this listen
With unequaled insight and brio, David Brooks, the New York Times columnist and bestselling author of Bobos in Paradise, has long explored and explained the way we live. Now, with the intellectual curiosity and emotional wisdom that make his columns among the most read in the nation, Brooks turns to the building blocks of human flourishing in a multilayered, profoundly illuminating work grounded in everyday life.This is the story of how success happens. It is told through the lives of one composite American couple, Harold and Erica—how they grow, push forward, are pulled back, fail, and succeed. Distilling a vast array of information into these two vividly realized characters, Brooks illustrates a fundamental new understanding of human nature. A scientific revolution has occurred—we have learned more about the human brain in the last thirty years than we had in the previous three thousand. The unconscious mind, it turns out, is most of the mind—not a dark, vestigial place but a creative and enchanted one, where most of the brain’s work gets done. This is the realm of emotions, intuitions, biases, longings, genetic predispositions, personality traits, and social norms: the realm where character is formed and where our most important life decisions are made. The natural habitat of The Social Animal. Drawing on a wealth of current research from numerous disciplines, Brooks takes Harold and Erica from infancy to school; from the “odyssey years” that have come to define young adulthood to the high walls of poverty; from the nature of attachment, love, and commitment, to the nature of effective leadership. He reveals the deeply social aspect of our very minds and exposes the bias in modern culture that overemphasizes rationalism, individualism, and IQ. Along the way, he demolishes conventional definitions of success while looking toward a culture based on trust and humility.The Social Animal is a moving and nuanced intellectual adventure, a story of achievement and a defense of progress. Impossible to put down, it is an essential book for our time, one that will have broad social impact and will change the way we see ourselves and the world.
©2011 David Brooks (P)2011 Random House AudioCritic Reviews
"An uncommonly brilliant blend of sociology, intellect and allegory." (Kirkus)
“Authoritative, impressively learned, and vast in scope.” (Newsweek)
“As in [Bobos in Paradise] he shows genius in sketching archetypes and coining phrases. . . . In The Social Animal Mr. Brooks surveys a stunning amount of research and cleverly connects it to everyday experience.” (The Wall Street Journal)
What listeners say about The Social Animal
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jarrad
- 23-07-2020
Worth your time
this was worthwhile as an exercise in reflecting on why we make the choices we do in life. it was interesting to note how many of our choices are influenced by our subconscious.
a book i wish i listened to when i was 17.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-04-2018
It would be a poor decision to not listen to this
please do yourself a service and listen to this book. If you want to gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your mind go no further.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amal
- 22-02-2017
amazing, interesting and informative
Would you consider the audio edition of The Social Animal to be better than the print version?
yes
What other book might you compare The Social Animal to, and why?
Brain Rules by John Medina. similar practical approach
What does Arthur Morey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
the perfect voice for the writer
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
it made me think and apply situations to myself
Any additional comments?
modern and informative view on us and social psychology. i enjoyed every minute
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mahmoud Naser
- 02-03-2019
fulfilling insight of the human life
I loved this book, it had a captivating way of telling l a story along with the required facts that provide a complex but more holistic view.
Much like the empty feeling you get after completing a long TV series was the feeling I got after the last sentence in book.
Would highly recommend
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Haan
- 11-10-2018
Comprehensive insight on the human condition
The storytelling is fantastic. It made me understand the concepts while experiencing what the characters were going through in different situations.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND this to everyone who is interested in learning why we do the things we do, and how to learn more from our environment.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- ANGELA J PORRITT
- 03-04-2017
Interesting and insightful
As a female reader I would question a few of the statements made, but overall a very interesting and insightful read into the human condition.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 10-08-2020
Read this book immediately
An incredibly well written story that balances the nuances of human nature, socialisation, historical evidence and a lot of references to studies and statistics with a captivating life story of two people.
My heart melts. Read this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gerard Ryan
- 15-09-2022
The social human
The last chapter got me, you need to commit to this book if you start then stay with it to the end. I feel in love with the characters and went on the journey. It’s got every stat you have heard of and refferance to books there are of the human animal.
Worth the time!
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-12-2019
Review of the Social Animal
Interesting concept for a book - exploring different theories through a handful of central characters over a lifespan, BUT so sexist, American centric, judgemental, binary, misogynist, etc... that it was annoying to listen to and difficult to persist with at times. What a narrow, judgemental view of humanity...
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