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The Moral Molecule: The Source of Love and Prosperity Audiobook
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(3.08) - 122 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Human beings can be so compassionate—and yet they can also be shockingly cruel. What if there was a hidden master control for human behavior? Switch it on and people are loving and generous. Switch it off and they revert to violence and greed. Pioneering neuroeconomist Paul J. Zak has discovered just such a master switch, a molecule in the human brain.
The Moral Molecule is a firsthand account of this discovery, revealing how evolution built the Golden Rule into our biology. From his laboratory in California to the jungles of Papua New Guinea, Zak takes you on an amazing and exciting journey to what it means to be human.
Zak’s experiments—what science writer Matt Ridley called “the most revealing in the history of economics”—measure a brain chemical called oxytocin found in the bloodstream. His colleagues sometimes call him the vampire economist. His research team has taken blood from thousands of people as they made decisions with money in the lab, played football out on the field, jumped from an airplane, attended a wedding, and many other situations in which human interactions take place. Ascending from molecules to families to entire societies, Zak’s findings reveal how oxytocin can produce a virtuous cycle of love and prosperity.
The Moral Molecule is a journey well beyond common theories about why we make the decisions we do. Zak explains what underlies the great mysteries of human behavior—why some husbands are more faithful than others; why women tend to be more generous than men; why we are sometimes rational and other times irrational. He explores the role of religion in moral behavior, how the moral molecule operates in the marketplace, and—most important, once we understand the moral molecule—how we can consciously use it to make our own lives better.
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"The most interesting and easiest to follow section of the book was the last chapter. Most of the earlier sections are written like a brain dump - randomly ordered details printed in the order in which they occurred to the author, making the reading tedious at best."
— Juli (4 out of 5 stars)
The Moral Molecule Listener Reviews
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" Loved this book. Another author looks at the role of oxytocin (and other chemicals) and it's effect on human behavior. Quite fascinating! For anyone interested in behavior and its biological underpinnings - this is a must! "
— Miranda, 2/6/2014 -
" Zak has cheapened his good, scientific research into oxytocin by excessively "dumbing it down." It's one thing to write about science for the general public and try to make it an interesting read, but Zak went overboard. This cutesy treatment cheapens important science. "
— Clarence, 1/3/2014 -
" Insightful, it has caused me to bree more aware of my actions. This is a good companion to crucial conversions. "
— Kcthinker, 12/16/2013 -
" Good book on the role of oxytocyn on social relations. "
— Sylvain, 12/13/2013 -
" The topic of this book might have made a worthwhile article but, in my opinion, the author worked too hard making it into a book. Evidence of how oxytocin works under varying conditions struck me as murky--certainly not living up to the book's expansive subtitle. There are better reads. "
— Dan, 11/14/2013 -
" This book is all about Oxytocin and the behavior that it induces. It was interesting and well presented. "
— Louis, 10/11/2013 -
" Oxytocin is a hell of a molecule! "
— Nicole, 9/28/2013 -
" Interesting read and while i enjoyed the science, I am a bit suspect of the methodology. However, I do believe in the power of a hug as Zak suggests. "
— Gary, 8/23/2013 -
" What if there is a master control for human behavior? Using studies and biochemical research, Zak establishes what makes some people compassionate and others lacking in empathy. "
— False, 6/30/2013 -
" Probably the most interesting book I've read all year. The author's assertions in areas outside of his immediate expertise are sometimes painfully over-generalized and silly, but the core work is fascinating. "
— Mark, 4/30/2013 -
" A hug can go a long way man. It started out strong then at the end it kinda tapered off. Or maybe I lost interest, either/or. "
— Arlene, 4/9/2013 -
" Was hesitant to start this - but I it's been a great read so far!! I learned a lot of the basic info in school, but the author's ability to tie in modern experiments and examples makes this relatable and enjoyable. Passing it on when I am finished! "
— Angela, 3/22/2013 -
" Interesting points but too simplistic. Cannot boil down human motivations to one chemical. "
— Deb, 11/6/2012 -
" Fine, I got as much from this book as from one of his journal articles. But why was this book-length? Zak goes way out of scope later on, gets anecdotal, and almost journaly, which wasn't the premise, I thought. "
— Justin, 8/26/2012 -
" Entertaining read. Oversimplifies the cause of moral behavior and sometimes strays into opinions (vs. science), but definitely offers interesting ideas for discussion. "
— Bob, 5/8/2012
About Paul J. Zak
Paul J. Zak, PhD, is professor of economic psychology and management at Claremont Graduate University. As the founding director of Claremont’s Center for Neuroeconomics Studies, he is at the vanguard of neuroeconomics, a new discipline that integrates neuroscience and economics. He makes numerous media appearances, and his research has been featured in numerous publications.