Nicholas A. Christakis Livres

For too long, scientists have emphasized the darker aspects of our biological heritage, such as aggression and self-interest. However, natural selection has also endowed us with beneficial social traits, including love, cooperation, and learning. Beneath our inventions—tools, farms, machines, cities—we possess innate tendencies that foster a good society. The author introduces the idea that our genes influence not just our bodies and behaviors, but also the formation of societies that share surprising similarities across the globe. Through vivid examples, including various cultures, shipwreck communities, utopian communes, and even the social structures of elephants and dolphins, it is demonstrated that, despite a history marked by violence, we are guided by a social blueprint for goodness. In an era of rising political and economic division, it is easy to overlook the positive aspects of our evolutionary past. By integrating insights from social science, evolutionary biology, genetics, neuroscience, and network science, the work reveals how evolution has set us on a humane path and highlights our shared humanity.

A piercing and scientifically grounded look at the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic and how it will change the way we live -- "this year's must-must-read." (Daniel Gilbert) Apollo's Arrow offers a riveting account of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic as it swept through American society in 2020, and of how the recovery will unfold in the coming years. Drawing on momentous (yet dimly remembered) historical epidemics, contemporary analyses, and cutting-edge research from a range of scientific disciplines, bestselling author, physician, sociologist, and public health expert Nicholas A. Christakis explores what it means to live in a time of plague -- an experience that is paradoxically uncommon to the vast majority of humans who are alive, yet deeply fundamental to our species. Unleashing new divisions in our society as well as opportunities for cooperation, this 21st-century pandemic has upended our lives in ways that will test, but not vanquish, our already frayed collective culture. Featuring new, provocative arguments and vivid examples ranging across medicine, history, sociology, epidemiology, data science, and genetics, Apollo's Arrow envisions what happens when the great force of a deadly germ meets the enduring reality of our evolved social nature.

For too long, scientists have concentrated on the negative aspects of our biological heritage, such as aggression and self-interest. However, natural selection has also endowed us with beneficial social traits, including love, friendship, cooperation, and learning. Beneath our inventions—tools, farms, machines, cities, and nations—lie innate tendencies that foster a good society. The author introduces the idea that our genes influence not only our bodies and behaviors but also the ways we create societies, which share surprising similarities across cultures. Through vivid examples, including historical and contemporary communities, shipwreck survivors, utopian communes, and online groups, as well as the social structures of elephants and dolphins, it becomes evident that, despite a history of violence, we possess a social blueprint for goodness. In an era marked by political and economic polarization, it’s easy to overlook the positive aspects of our evolutionary past. By integrating insights from social science, evolutionary biology, genetics, neuroscience, and network science, the narrative illustrates how evolution has guided us toward a humane path, emphasizing our shared humanity.

Renowned scientists Christakis and Fowler present compelling evidence for our profound influence on one another's tastes, health, wealth, happiness, beliefs, even weight, as they explain how social networks form and how they operate.

Celebrated scientists Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler explain the amazing power of social networks and our profound influence on one another's lives. Your colleague's husband's sister can make you fat, even if you don't know her. A happy neighbor has more impact on your happiness than a happy spouse. These startling revelations of how much we truly influence one another are revealed in the studies of Drs. Christakis and Fowler, which have repeatedly made front-page news nationwide. In CONNECTED, the authors explain why emotions are contagious, how health behaviors spread, why the rich get richer, even how we find and choose our partners. Intriguing and entertaining, CONNECTED overturns the notion of the individual and provides a revolutionary paradigm-that social networks influence our ideas, emotions, health, relationships, behavior, politics, and much more. It will change the way we think about every aspect of our lives.

Wussten Sie, dass Sie das Leben von Leuten, die Sie nicht mal persönlich kennen, maßgeblich beeinflussen können, und zwar bis ins kleinste Detail? Ob die Freunde eines Freundes Ihres Freundes zur Wahl gehen, wen sie wählen, ob sie rauchen, dick oder dünn sind, liegt mit in Ihrer Hand! Die international renommierten Wissenschaftler Nicholas Christakis und James Fowler zeigen, wie sich solche sozialen Netzwerke bilden und wie sie funktionieren. Sie erklären, warum Gefühle ansteckend sind, wie sich gesundheitsbewusstes Verhalten ausbreitet, warum die Reichen reicher werden und wie wir unsere Partner auswählen und finden. Auf verblüffende, provokante und unterhaltsame Weise wird hier ein Paradigmenwechsel vollzogen: Nicht das Individuum, sondern die sozialen Netzwerke formen nahezu alle Aspekte unseres Lebens.