La mente de la tribu

Man has traditionally been defined as a rational and thinking animal, and the common surname that we have given ourselves proudly proclaims this: 'sapiens'. But as distinctive as our undoubted intellectual sophistication is our social character, the deep need for community and belonging that continually drives us to seek contact and identification with our fellow human beings. Our mind is both individual and collective, particular and tribal. And that collective nature can lead us both to unity and to struggle and conflict. This book exposes in a way that is both accessible and rigorous, the advances that psychology, neuroscience, and the social sciences have made in understanding that essential trait of human nature that is sociability. Throughout its pages, topics such as the forms of human attachment, social identity and the psychological roots of conflicts between groups, empathy, collective emotions or the neurobiology of social bonds are addressed. The last chapters show us how the knowledge of our social mind can help us better understand current issues, such as political polarization, waves of collective indignation or the spread of irrational beliefs and fake news in the digital environment.