The Social Instinct: What Nature Can Teach Us About Working Together

Informative and eye opening about various levels of corporations from cells in our bodies to ants colonies. Fascinating and fun read.

Raihani provides compelling insights into how natural selection builds both collaboration and competition into our genes, shaping everything from our body’s cells to individuals to nations. She demonstrates how collaboration drove humans’ near-dominant species success. She also shows that the roots of altruism are real. Highly recommended.

Top takeaways from reading the book:- Page 78: For most of our time on earth, children have been raised by multiple caregivers - including parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents as well as aunts and uncles. Increasingly, external caregivers / educators provide services for children / families.- Page 79: One-parent caring of children and the other parent working is very unusual - both cross culturally and seen in a historical perspective.- Page 125: Only humans have institutions such as fire departments, which are dedicated to helping people. Other species do not.- Page 125: Humans differ from other species by voluntarily helping people we are not related to, for example through donations.- Page 163: Reputation systems, for example on digital platforms where people can give feedback using stars and comments, help people to cooperate.- Page 227: The earliest forms of institutionalized leadership were likely to have been inclusive and democratic. Leaders were those people, who were best able to create consensus and coordinate actions. They were well liked and respected by group members.

This little book is a voyage into the secret sauce of animal and human life. Professor Raihani's remarkable style delivers a simple yet rich understanding of what makes us tick - you will close the last page seeing the world through different lenses. Highly recommended!

Superbly written book. Encouraged me to consider our co-existence on Earth with other cooperative species and what we can learn from them. The final pages provide a sobering reminder that there is no divine plan for our species and warns us against complacency towards our future. Professor Raihani doesn’t use her book to preach or take the moral high ground, she succinctly shares the research findings of cooperation in ants, mole rats, cleaner fish, humans and many other species. She weaves little anecdotes and heart warming comparisons throughout the book to keep it engaging for the likes of me (a non scientist) to enjoy and understand. Thank you for sharing your knowledge Nichola and congratulations on an excellent book.