The Connected Species: How the Evolution of the Human Brain Can Save the World

In his eye-opening debut, cognitive neuroscientist Williams argues that humans’ “primitive drive to connect” has shaped “our behavior over millions of years” and that better understanding this impulse can make for a “less divided” future. The brain has evolved to optimize human connection by centering “face recognition [and] facial expression perception,” which can reinforce prejudice, Williams explains. He points to implicit biases and the cross-race effect, which reveals that “people have a harder time recognizing faces from races other than their own.” Even mirror neurons, which cause humans to “mimic... what we see others doing,” can prove detrimental in negative group environments—for example, a protest in which part of a crowd grows violent—as “a little like a puppet on a string, we are controlled by the mood of the people around us.” Williams’s suggested solutions include “meeting people from... different cultures,” “expanding the circle of the in-group to encompass members of the out-group” (for example, Williams writes that though he grew up in a Catholic family, he might tell non-Catholics that he grew up in a “spiritual family”), and fighting implicit bias in the media. Williams’s personal anecdotes, lucid explanations of his research studies, and chapter summaries make for an argument that’s accessible but not dumbed down, and readers will appreciate his optimistic tone. Pop psychology fans should take note. (Aug.)