Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters

A lively and provocative look at how evolution shapes our behavior and our lives.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, our brains and bodies are hardwired to carry out an evolutionary mission that determines much of what we do, from life plans to everyday decisions.

With an accessible tone and a healthy disregard for political correctness, this lively and eminently readable book popularizes the latest research in a cutting- edge field of study-one that turns much of what we thought we knew about human nature upside-down.

Every time we fall in love, fight with our spouse, enjoy watching a favorite TV show, or feel scared--walking alone at night, we are in part behaving as a human animal with its own unique nature-a nature that essentially stopped evolving 10,000 years ago. Alan S. Miller and Satoshi Kanazawa re-examine some of the most popular and controversial topics of modern life-and shed a whole new light on why we do the things we do.

Reader beware: You may never look at human nature the same way again.

Alan S. Miller served as professor of social psychology in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Hokkaido University, Japan, before his death in 2003.

Satoshi Kanazawa is Reader of Management and Research Methodology at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He lives in London, England.