Ratings2
Average rating3.5
'This book is truly exceptional. Applying science to the problems of human relationships, the perils of perfectionism and the pitfalls of social etiquette, Millie has written a joyous, funny and hugely insightful text for all of us - whether neurotypical or neurodiverse. This 'outsiders guide to the human race' is warm, witty and a joy to read.' Prof Gina Rippon, Cognitive neuroscientist/autism researcher and author of The Gendered Brain. Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of eight, Camilla Pang struggled to understand the world around her and the way people worked. Desperate for a solution, Camilla asked her mother if there was an instruction manual for humans that she could consult. But, without the blueprint to life she was hoping for, Camilla began to create her own. Now armed with a PhD in biochemistry, Camilla dismantles our obscure social customs and identifies what it really means to be human using her unique expertise and a language she knows best: science. Through a set of scientific principles, this book examines life's everyday interactions including: - Decisions and the route we take to make them; - Conflict and how we can avoid it; - Relationships and how we establish them; - Etiquette and how we conform to it. Explaining Humans is an original and incisive exploration of human nature and the strangeness of social norms, written from the outside looking in. Camilla's unique perspective of the world, in turn, tells us so much about ourselves - about who we are and why we do it - and is a fascinating guide on how to lead a more connected, happier life.
Reviews with the most likes.
I really liked this book. It is different from other non fiction that I have read because of the correlation the writer makes. It gives us both an insight into het mind and shows us other ways to look at things that seem mundane or too large to handle. Here are a few of my favourite thing I took away from this book:
- fear and anxiety can seem like a blinding light, you can't look straight at it and it can feel overwhelming. But the moment you filter that light through a filter/prism the colorwaves split and become a rainbow which is much easier to decipher.
- you can look at proteins to see how being different can help you in groups and society as a whole. I really liked this take and now I know what kind of protein I am most like