Unique: The New Science of Human Individuality

by David Linden

Overview

Inspired by the abundance of unique personalities available on dating websites, a renowned neuroscientist examines the science of what makes you, you.
David J. Linden has devoted his career to understanding the biology common to all humans. But a few years ago he found himself on OkCupid. Looking through that vast catalog of human diversity, he got to wondering: What makes us all so different? Unique is the riveting answer. Exploring everything from the roots of sexuality, gender, and intelligence to whether we like bitter beer, Linden shows how our individuality results not from a competition of nature versus nurture, but rather from a mélange of genes continually responding to our experiences in the world, beginning in the womb. And he shows why individuality matters, as it is our differences that enable us to live together in groups.
Told with Linden's unusual combination of authority and openness, seriousness of purpose and wit, Unique is the story of how the factors that make us all human can change and interact to make each of us a singular person.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541698871
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	09/29/2020
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	NOOK Book
Sales rank:	189,014
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

David J. Linden is a professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where his lab studies memory storage and recovery of function after brain injury. He is the author of three previous books: Touch, The Accidental Mind, and The Compass of Pleasure. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Table of Contents

Prologue 1

1 It Runs in the Family 9

2 Are You Experienced? 35

3 I Forgot to Remember to Forget You 67

4 Sexual Self 91

5 Who Do You Love? 131

6 We Are the Anti-Pandas 159

7 Sweet Dreams Are Made of This 197

8 A Day at the Races 221

Epilogue 249

Acknowledgments 255

Notes 257

Index 303

Editorial Reviews

"Linden neither falters nor apologizes. . . . That's the kind of clarity we need more of in popular science books like this."—New York Times Book Review


"Very welcome".—Clare Wilson, New Scientist

"Bucking the currents of predetermination arising from personal genomics and biomarkers, David Linden examines the most fascinating aspect of biology — everyone is different. Read Linden's book to learn how and why we are all unique."—R.Douglas Fields, author of Electric Brain


"A sturdy, scientifically grounded, and anecdotally engaging study of the factors that shape us."—Kirkus

"I'm not average, and neither are you. In a fascinating new book, Linden explains how we become our individual selves — leaving behind the stale concept of 'nature versus nurture' to reveal a recipe based on a broad range of experiences and predispositions, spiced with a dash of just plain luck. Informative and fun to read!"
—Sandra Aamodt, author of Welcome to Your Brain


"Linden takes us on a colorful journey through our dreams, memories, and senses, exploring how social experience and genes interact to shape each of us as individual human beings. Along the way he combines personal stories, real world analogies, current scientific research, and his own insights to confront the challenging topics of race, sex, gender, and intelligence. A thoughtful, fresh and enjoyable look at ourselves."—Robin Lester, professor of neurobiology at University of Alabama at Birmingham

From the Publisher

2020-06-12
A professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine probes the individual traits that make us who we are.

Linden looks at how heredity interacts with experience and “the inherent randomness in the development of the body.” Although he notes that we have only a general understanding of how molecular mechanisms come together to make us individuals, he fearlessly delves into genetic factors, the experience-driven expression of genes, and the subtle changes in the number, position, biochemical activity, and movement of cells within the developing nervous system. The author picks apart those aspects that are biologically regulated and those that are the product of social experience—attachment, social warmth, neglect, and bullying—and describes how they affect brain development. There are a variety of sex manifestations that don’t always sort easily into male and female, and gender is even more variable. Linden provides lucid examinations of the range and dynamism of sexual expression. Regarding food preferences, the author writes, “we have succeeded by being food generalists. As a species, we can’t be overly predetermined when it comes to food. We must adapt to local availability through learning.” However, there is clear evidence of genetic variation in taste sensors as well as life-stage influences on taste sensation. After a foray into gene expression and how it addresses some particular challenge—e.g., high-altitude living “in the Semien Mountains of Ethiopia or the high Tibetan plateau”—Linden moves on to the contentious role of population genetics, systematically refuting pseudo-scientific racist arguments. The author untangles the cultural, biological, and socio-economic factors at play, the fallacy of selective pressures, the fluidity of racial populations, heritable and nonheritable components, and the crystallized and malleable elements of intelligence. Ultimately, the author concludes, “interacting forces of heredity, experience, plasticity, and development resonate to make us unique.”

A sturdy, scientifically grounded, and anecdotally engaging study of the factors that shape us.

Kirkus Reviews

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