Description

What drives a happily married man to fantasize about pretty, slim young women seen on a tube train? Why does a seriously injured, semi-conscious and dehydrated mountaineer battle against impossible weather conditions, refusing the comforts of sleep, to spend three days crawling down to the safety of base camp? How is it that so many thousands of people spend their week entirely focussed on whether their team will win their next crucial match? What stimulates that urge to press the pedal as hard as possible at traffic lights to make the fastest getaway? And how is it that so many people still hold religious views when the notion of an all-powerful being is irrational? All of these impulses are driven by our human instincts – sexual drive, survival, competition, aggression and our search for knowledge.Few people have a problem  with the idea that humans are descended from apes. But while people believe that our general shape and structure are derived from other creatures, few consider, let alone accept, the psychological implications. Man not only looks, moves and breathes like an ape, he also thinks like one. It is back in our primeval past that we find the first clues to the understanding of our human instincts.But how well do instincts equip us for the twenty-first century? Do instincts help or hinder us as we deal with large anonymous cities, low-level stress, the battle of the sexes and the fracturing of communal life? In this erudite and fascinating book, which accompanies a major BBC 1 television series, Robert Winston takes us on a journey deep into the human mind in search of the answers to these questions and many more. Along the way he takes a very personal look at the relationship between science and religion, and explores those instincts that make us peculiarly human.Born To SurviveIn this edition, he reveals that our instincts are honed to survive in a world far riskier than the one we inhabit today, and that this is why we often crave food high in calories, reject food that could be poisonous, and react to primeval dangers such as snakes.Deepest DesiresThis episode explores the complex world of sexual attraction, investigating why men are more open to casual sex, what drives women to be unfaithful and what can ignite male sexual jealousy.Will to WinWe’re always competing, even when we least expect it. The will to win is an instinct that’s kept our species alive. In this programme we discover why coming out on top feels so great and why losing feels so bad.Natural Born HeroesA 200,000 year old jawbone tells the story of an elderly woman who was kept alive thanks to the kindness of her companions.