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7 Works 159 Members 5 Reviews

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Paul J. Zak's proclivity for taking blood samples has earned, him a nickname as the "vampire economist." But his sanguinary habit is backed by his scientific quest: What if there was a master switch for human behavior? On, and people are loving and generous. Off, and they revert to violence and vis mere greed. By studying thousands of blood samples, Zak has pinpointed just such a switch: a brain chemical called oxytocin. Sprinting around the globe and into the human brain, The Moral Molecule is a dazzling narrative as erudite and entertaining as bestsellers like Flow, Drive, and Why We Love. vis mindre

Includes the name: Paul J. Zak Ed.

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I enjoyed this book much more than I expected I would. Initially, I was skeptical about how the myriad of human behaviors could be attributed to a few chemicals. But minus that, this book proposes an interesting theory and a good snap shot of evolutionary behaviors. Am happy I picked up this read.
 
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yamiyoghurt | Jan 29, 2018 |
Disappointing. A drop or two of science forms a platform for a pile of rather obvious, even platitudinous, observations about human nature. A shaky crossing of Hume's line between Is and Ought. A few juicy scientific facts, e.g., that oxytocin as an active ingredient in our biochemistry has its own evolutionary predecessors that performed more basic functions. Too much reliance on a reductionist human-lab "Trust Game", (exchanges of trivial cash sums combined with blood-tests) lead the author to form all kinds of conclusions. Life is a lot more complex than this. Daniel Kahneman does this kind of thing much better - or even Steven Levitt in Freakonomics.… (mere)
 
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vguy | 1 anden anmeldelse | Aug 30, 2016 |
What is the Moral Molecule? Is there a Moral Molecule? And if so, how do you test for it? In a unique dialogue, Zak studies and shares his research, spanning everything from a wedding, sex, business, and death - veritably the spectrum of human life!

Read the full review here:
https://ermareads.wordpress.com/noticing-non-fiction/the-moral-molecule/
 
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Ermina | 1 anden anmeldelse | Feb 25, 2016 |

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Værker
7
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159
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#132,375
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4.2
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ISBN
25
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