The Social Animal (David Brooks book)
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Hardcover version cover
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| Author | David Brooks |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Sociology, Psychology, Biology |
| Published | March 8, 2011 Random House |
| Pages | 448 |
| ISBN | |
| Preceded by | On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense |
| Followed by | The Road to Character |
The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement is a non-fiction book by American journalist David Brooks, who is otherwise best known for his career with The New York Times. The book discusses what drives individual behavior and decision making. Brooks goes through various academic topics such as sociology, psychology, and biology and attempts to summarize various discoveries— such as brain development in early life. The book continually refers to two fictional characters 'Harold' and 'Erica', used by Brooks as examples of how people's emotional personality changes over time.
The book has been a commercial success at least initially. It debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It reached the No. 3 spot on the Publishers Weekly best-sellers list for non-fiction (as of April 3). The book has received a wide variety of reviews. Criticism came from Forbes.com,Salon.com, and The New York Times Book Review, while praise came from The Washington Times,Newsweek, and Kirkus Reviews. The book is also a favorite of the British Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader, David Cameron.
Brooks spent close to three years writing the book in between moments of his media career (TV appearances, lectures, etc.). He has remarked, "I used to play golf... I gave up every second that I wasn’t hanging around with my wife and kids." In doing research, he visited the lab of neuro-scientist Antonio Damasio at the University of Southern California (USC).
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