The Explorer's Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map

by Alex Hutchinson

Overview

New York Times-bestselling author of Endure Alex Hutchinson returns with a fresh, provocative investigation into how exploration, uncertainty, and risk shape our behavior and help us find meaning.

Off the beaten path, following unmarked trails, we are wired to explore. More than just a need to get outside, the search for the unknown is a primal urge that has shaped the history of our species and continues to mold our behavior in ways we are only beginning to understand. In fact, the latest neuroscience suggests that exploration in any form—whether it’s trying a new restaurant, changing careers, or deciding to run a marathon—is an essential ingredient of human life. Exploration, it turns out, isn’t merely a hobby—it’s our story.

In this much-anticipated follow-up to his New York Times bestseller Endure, Alex Hutchinson refutes the myth that, in our fully mapped digital world, the age of exploration is dead. Instead, the itch to discover new things persists in all of us, expressed not just on the slopes of Everest but in the ways we work, play, and live. From paddling the lost rivers of the northern Canadian wilderness to the ocean-spanning voyages of the Polynesians to the search for next-generation quantum computers, The Explorer’s Gene combines riveting stories of exploration with cutting-edge insights from behavioral psychology and neuroscience, making a powerful case that our lives are better—more productive, more meaningful, and more fun—when we break our habits and chart a new path. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063269767
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/25/2025
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Alex Hutchinson is the New York Times bestselling author of Endure, a longtime columnist for Outside covering the science of endurance, and a National Magazine Award–winning journalist who has contributed to the New York Times, The New Yorker, and other publications. A former long-distance runner for the Canadian national team, he holds a master’s in journalism from Columbia and a Ph.D. in physics from Cambridge, and he did his post-doctoral research with the National Security Agency. He lives in Toronto with his family.

Editorial Reviews

Hutchinson’s research fascinates . . . an intriguing argument for taking the road less traveled.” — Publishers Weekly

“Each chapter unfolds like a solid magazine feature, sandwiching careful summaries of scientific research between slices of well-told personal or historical drama…Hutchinson’s exposition is always clear, however, and never overdrawn, and he resists the pop-science urge to offer bogus one-weird-trick takeaways. Beyond some rules of thumb for exploring, his summation, presented with his typical modesty, is that ‘on average, and in the long run, exploring pays off.’ Bet he’s right.” — Wall Street Journal

“Deeply researched, citing a wide range of studies – some published as recently as last year – that shed light on why some are driven to seek adventure while others are content in their comfort zone… The Explorer's Gene challenges us to consider how to stoke that spirit without changing course entirely.” — New Scientist

“The Explorer’s Gene inspired me to lace my boots and venture into new horizons—both outdoors and in life at home. With masterful storytelling, Hutchinson unpacks the science and spirit of exploration—showing us it isn’t just a trait of history’s great adventurers. Exploration is a fundamental drive, essential for discovering meaning, purpose, and innovation in life and work today. And it makes life a whole lot more fun. The book helped me understand myself better, and it'll do the same for you.”  — Michael Easter, New York Times bestselling author of The Comfort Crisis and Scarcity Brain

“This book tackles one of the core questions of life on earth: is it better to continue down a well-worn path or to head off into the wild unknown? In pursuit of an answer, Hutchinson, a genial and whip-smart guide, brings us to unexpected places—around the world, back to the dawn of human history, and up to the bleeding edge of science. I came away inspired to live a bigger, bolder life.” — Robert Moor, bestselling author of On Trails: An Exploration

"The Explorer's Gene is a gorgeous inquiry into the science of curiosity—and it's a celebration of anyone who loves the feeling of not knowing exactly where they'll end up. This book helped me understand myself." — Blair Braverman, author of Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube

“Alex Hutchinson’s new book is a must-read for anyone who has ever deliberately set out into the wild in hopes of learning something about life and themselves. It’s an examination of what drives people to explore and why diving into the unknown and challenging ourselves to face uncertainty can be so gratifying. Hutchinson explains why we so often prefer effort over ease and investigates why some people are more inclined to adventure than others. The book brings to life the ways that exploring can marry the “arduous journey into the unknown” with the “joyful act of discovery.” — Christie Aschwanden, New York Times bestselling author of Good to Go

"A brilliant and timely exploration of the enduring human desire to seek out new horizons. Hutchinson's insights are both profound and practical, offering a roadmap for explorers and strivers alike. This book is a must-read for anyone who has ever felt the tug of wanderlust or the thrill of discovery." — Steve Magness, author of Win the Inside Game and Do Hard Things

“In The Explorer’s Gene, Alex Hutchinson illuminates that most mysterious and vital human drive—the urge to do, or to see, something new. This is science writing at its very best, with something fascinating on every page.” — David Epstein, New York Times bestselling author of Range

“Alex Hutchinson’s deftness in simplifying the complex science and psychology that underlie [the drive to explore] makes The Explorer’s Gene a must-read for anyone who has felt that powerful urge—and then, of course, who has wondered why.” — Peter Stark, author of Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire

“Alex Hutchinson is one of the best writers in the world about all things sport, adventure, and performance. If you want to be inspired and prepared for your own adventures—in sport and in life—this book is a must read. It will remind you of what it means to be a human in body, mind, and spirit.” — Brad Stulberg, bestselling author of The Practice of Groundedness and Master of Change

“[Hutchinson] reviews three clues suggesting that we are natural-born explorers...Taken together, they make an ingenious and convincing case that we find it rewarding to seek out the unknown. We push into new territories even when we’re comfortable where we are. Other animals don’t do this… Hutchinson’s broad definition of his subject allows him to dip heavily into behavioral psychology, gambling, business, aging, evolution, and urban planning, all of which feed our yearning to make the future better, provided the risks aren’t too great.” — Kirkus Reviews

“This book is AMAZING!” — Malcolm Gladwell on Endure

“Fascinating (and motivating). ... Hutchinson sheds light on how humans accomplish our most absurd athletic achievements.” — Esquire on Endure

“If you want to gain insight into the mind of great athletes, adventurers, and peak performers then prepare to be enthralled by Alex Hutchinson’s Endure.” — Bear Grylls, Mt. Everest summiteer and host of NBC’s Running Wild with Bear Grylls

“A meticulously researched profile of the physiology and psychology of athletes.... Investigates what is at the heart of the limits of man’s endurance: is it the body’s mechanistic breaking point or the brain’s upper threshold of belief?... A captivating and often moving book with something to offer readers interested in health, athleticism, neuroscience, and the human condition.” — Kirkus (starred review) on Endure

“Makes the case that we’re actually underestimating our potential, and reveals how we can all surpass our perceived physical limits.” — Adam Grant, LinkedIn.com, on Endure

From the Publisher

2025-01-16
Looking at why humans roam.

Hutchinson is both a runner and a writer. Although his 2018 book,Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance, sold well, he found himself ignoring opportunities to exploit the success. Then, perhaps influenced by a modest bank balance, he wondered why his attention kept wandering. He had discovered philosophy’s ancient explore-exploit dilemma. You can exploit the resources you have or explore in search of an outcome that’s uncertain but may be better. You can’t do both. Business books belabor this point, but Hutchinson delivers a rare focus on individuals. He reviews three clues suggesting that we are natural-born explorers. Anthropological clues help reveal how humans spread across the earth. Biological clues help explain how exploration has affected our genes and vice versa. The third clue is neurological: a new theory of the brain called predictive processing. Taken together, they make an ingenious and convincing case that we find it rewarding to seek out the unknown. We push into new territories even when we’re comfortable where we are. Other animals don’t do this. While there is no smoking-gun “explorer’s gene,” many gene variants exist that encourage novelty seeking. Neuroscientists discovered that the brain does not simply receive information from the senses; it generates signals about what it expects to happen. This “predictive processing” saves work (brains evolved for survival, not accuracy), and the brain usually predicts correctly. It doesn’t like surprises. Fortunately for the reader, Hutchinson’s broad definition of his subject allows him to dip heavily into behavioral psychology, gambling, business, aging, evolution, and urban planning, all of which feed our yearning to make the future better, provided the risks aren’t too great. The latter half of the book delivers insights into even less tangible forms: creativity, art, research, play.

Good science behind the urge to travel or stay put.

Kirkus Reviews