Humanish: What Talking to Your Cat or Naming Your Car Reveals About the Uniquely Human Need to Humanize

by Justin Gregg

Overview

A playful deep dive into anthropomorphism (our peculiar tendency to humanize the nonhuman) that will resonate with anyone who has thrown a birthday party for their dog.

Bestselling science writer Justin Gregg explores the science behind our instinct to see ourselves in the creatures and objects around us. Ours is a world filled with emotional support alligators, a woman who married her briefcase, and Soviet super babies that drink dolphin milk. Delivered with a delightful mix of scientific insight and humor, Humanish is a groundbreaking exploration of one of the most powerful—but rarely talked about—cognitive biases influencing our behavior.
 
Through quirky stories and fascinating research, Gregg unravels the reasons behind why we treat our pets like babies, fall in love with chatbots, and talk to our cars. Discover how anthropomorphism drives both consumerism and the coming AI revolution, and how the inverse process, dehumanization, allows us to treat our fellow humans so inhumanely. Explore the brighter side of anthropomorphism’s biological benefits—it helps us connect with other humans and make sense of our unpredictable world. Humanish is filled with captivating stories and invaluable ideas of how we can harness our understanding of anthropomorphism to build healthier relationships and enrich our lives

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316577601
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	09/23/2025
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook

About the Author

Justin Gregg is a Senior Research Associate with the Dolphin Communication Project and an Adjunct Professor at St. Francis Xavier University, where he lectures on animal behavior and cognition. He is author of the bestselling book If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal. Originally from Vermont, Gregg studied the echolocation abilities of wild dolphins in Japan and The Bahamas. He currently lives in rural Nova Scotia, where he writes about science and contemplates the inner lives of the crows that live near his home.
 

Editorial Reviews

"Everyone who is interested in both human and animal behavior will love this book. Justin Gregg uses interesting stories to explain anthropomorphism."—Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation and Animals Make Us Human

"Going beyond a delightful explanation of why we dress our dogs in cute costumes, this is an engaging and timely investigation of how we interact with technology, politics, and religion through a unique narrativizing lens—demonstrating that what makes us human is what we see as human-ish."—Adam Aleksic, author of Algospeak: How Social Media is Transforming the Future of Language

"Humanish is at once a riveting read and a breath of fresh air. Justin Gregg opens our senses and our hearts to nature’s whims and to the other beings with whom we share our one and only planet. Identifying with them is a win-win for all."—Marc Bekoff, PhD, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals

“A dazzling, delightful read on what animal cognition can teach us about our own mental shortcomings. You won’t just tear through this book in one sitting—you’ll probably want to invite Justin Gregg over for dinner to spend more time inside his brilliant mind. This is one of the best debuts I’ve read in a long time, and I dare you to open it without rethinking some of your basic ideas about intelligence.”  —Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again (for If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal)

“A snappy read: it left me wondering why we don't respect signals of intelligence from other species—and more deeply consider how our own intelligence works against us.” —Amy Brady, Scientific American (for If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal)

“If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal makes some extraordinary and thought-provoking points. It is not only engagingly written, but its controversial thesis is worth taking seriously… some of the cognitive concepts introduced… are nothing less than brilliant.” —David P. Barash, Wall Street Journal (for If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal)

"Filled with intriguing stories and astute explanations, this is a superb work of popular science."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

From the Publisher