Why are we attuned to the latest headline, diet craze, smartphone, fashion statement?  Why do we relish a change of scene, eye attractive strangers, develop new interests?  How did Homo sapiens survive near-extinction during an environmental crisis 80,000 years ago, while close cousins very like us have died out?  Why is your characteristic reaction to novelty and change the key to your whole personality?  Why do we enjoy inexpensive pleasures, like fresh flowers or great chocolate, more than costly comforts, like cars or  appliances?  How can a species genetically geared to engage with novelty cope in a world that increasingly bombards us with it?    Follow a crawling baby around and you’ll see that right from the beginning, nothing excites us more than something new and different. Our unique human brains are biologically primed to engage with and even generate novelty, from our ancestors’ first bow and arrow to the latest tablet computer. This “neophilia” has enabled us to thrive in a world of cataclysmic change, but now, we confront an unprecedented deluge of new things, from products to information, which has quadrupled in the past 30 years and shows no sign of slowing. To prevent our great strength from becoming a weakness in today’s fast-paced world, we must re-connect with neophilia’s grand evolutionary purpose: to help us learn, create, and adapt to new things that have real value and dismiss the rest as distractions.  In New: Understanding Our Need for Novelty and Change, Winifred Gallagher, acclaimed behavioral science writer and author of Rapt, takes us to the cutting-edge laboratories and ancient archeological sites where scientists explore our special affinity for novelty and change. Although no other species can rival our capacity to explore and experiment with the new, we individuals vary in how we balance the conflicting needs to avoid risk and approach rewards. Most of us are moderate “neophiles,” but some 15 per cent of us are die-hard “neophiliacs,” who have an innate passion for new experiences, and another 15 per cent are cautious “neophobes,” who try to steer clear of them—a 1-5-1 ratio that benefits the group’s well-being. Wherever you sit on the continuum, New shows you how to use this special human gift to navigate more skillfully  through our rapidly changing world by focusing on the new things that really matter.

Product Description: Follow a crawling baby around and you’ll see that right from the beginning, nothing excites us more than something new and different. Our unique human brains are biologically primed to engage with and even generate novelty, from our ancestors’ first bow and arrow to the latest tablet computer...read more

Presents a personal study of Americans' quest for a religion and spirituality that meets the needs of a complex world, examining new approaches to Western faiths, the impact of Eastern traditions, the influence of science and psychology, and the democratization of authority

Product Description: Apoyandose en los ultimos descubrimientos en neurociencia, la escritora Winifred Gallagher realiza una investigacion apasionante sobre el papel de la atencion a la hora de definir la conducta, la experiencia y la identidad humanas...read more

Product Description: Your world, and even your self, is largely constructed from the thoughts and feelings, people and things you’ve focused on throughout your life. Much more than you probably suspect, you can, as you move forward, actively direct your attention to create the kind of experience you want and become the person you want to be...read more

A look at how the physical world affects human lives draws on the latest research in the behavioral and environmental sciences to examine human reactions to light, heat, the seasons, and other natural phenomena

Bringing together elements of behavioral science, cultural history, and interviews with designers and architects, a journalist and cultural critic provides a psychological tour of the American home--past, present, and future--that explores how our homes express how we feel about our families, jobs, bodies, status, and selves. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.

Explaining how handbags have supplanted all other accessories as a consumer symbol of wealth and fashion, a historical and cultural survey draws on psychological, sociological, and economic sources to evaluate how purses reflect their owner's belief systems and emotions. 40,000 first printing.

An inspirational, ecumenical volume presents thought-provoking profiles of eleven modern-day men and women celebrated for their remarkable spiritual gifts, ranging from a devout Muslim professor who crusades for women's rights, to a woman recognized as a Hindu goddess, to an Italian-American Evangelical minister who publicly bucks the religious right. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.

An inspirational, ecumenical volume presents thought-provoking profiles of eleven modern-day men and women celebrated for their remarkable spiritual gifts, ranging from a devout Muslim professor who crusades of women's rights, to a woman recognized as a Hindu goddess, to an Italian-American Evangelical minister who publicly bucks the religious right. 40,000 first printing. (view table of contents)

The author of The Power of Place explores the mysteries of self-identity to reveal what defines an individual, explaining how both genetic and learning determine who we are. Previously published as ID: How Heredity and Experience Make You Who You Are. Reprint. 20,000 first printing. NYT. (view table of contents)

The author of The Power of Place explores the mysteries of self-identity to reveal what defines an individual, explaining how both genetics and learning determine who we are. 30,000 first printing. Tour.