Exploring evolution, animal behaviour and human psychology, The Social Instinct reveals how and why cooperation has shaped and defined humankind - and what happens when it goes wrong. The first book by a brilliant evolutionary biologist, drawing on decades of research in the field.

The science of cooperation tells us not only how we got here, but also where we might end up. Cooperation explains how strands of DNA gave rise to modernday nation states. It defines our extraordinary ecological success as well as many of the most surprising features of what make us human: not only why we live in families, why we have grandmothers and why women experience the menopause, but also why we become paranoid and jealous, and why we cheat.

Nichola Raihani also introduces us to other species who, like us, live and work together. From the pied babblers of the Kalahari to the cleaner fish of the Great Barrier Reef, they happen to be some of the most fascinating and extraordinarily successful species on this planet. What do we have in common with these other species, and what is it that sets us apart?

Written at a time of global pandemic, when the challenges and importance of cooperation have never been greater, The Social Instinct is an exhilarating, farreaching and thought-provoking journey through all life on Earth, with profound insights into what makes us human and how our societies work.

'A phenomenally important book' Lewis Dartnell, author of Origins Why do we live in families? Why do we help complete strangers? Why do we compare ourselves to others? Why do we cooperate? The science of cooperation tells us not only how we got here, but also where we might end up. In The Social Instinct Nichola Raihani introduces us to other species who, like us, live and work together. From the pied babblers of the Kalahari to the cleaner fish of the Great Barrier Reef, they happen to be some of the most fascinating and extraordinarily successful species on this planet. What do we have in common with these animals, and what can we learn from them? The Social Instinct is an exhilarating, far-reaching and thought-provoking journey through all life on Earth, with profound insights into what makes us human and how our societies work. 'A pleasing juxtaposition of insightful scientific theory with illuminating anecdotes' Richard Dawkins 'Surprising, thoughtful and, best of all, endlessly entertaining' Will Storr, author of The Science of Storytelling 'A superb book about how important cooperation is' Alice Roberts, author of Ancestors