Survival of the Prettiest

The Science of Beauty

By: Nancy Etcoff

Narrated by: Donna Postel

A provocative and thoroughly researched inquiry into what we find beautiful and why, skewering the myth that the pursuit of beauty is a learned behavior.

In Survival of the Prettiest, Nancy Etcoff, a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and a practicing psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, argues that beauty is neither a cultural construction, an invention of the fashion industry, nor a backlash against feminism - it's in our biology.

Beauty, she explains, is an essential and ineradicable part of human nature that is revered and ferociously pursued in nearly every civilization - and for good reason. Those features to which we are most attracted are often signals of fertility and fecundity. When seen in the context of a Darwinian struggle for survival, our sometimes extreme attempts to attain beauty - both to become beautiful ourselves and to acquire an attractive partner - suddenly become much more understandable. Moreover, if we understand how the desire for beauty is innate, then we can begin to work in our own interests, and not just the interests of our genetic tendencies.

©1999 Nancy Etcoff (P)2019 Tantor

Educational and interesting

Enjoyed listening to this book. The author makes some very good points. Really enjoy the fact that it’s grounded in scientific research.

Candid observation of beauty in society & biology

ut's interesting to discover how beauty has progressed through the centuries and how strong biology is to favor and cultivate this gift of genes. A candid view of beauty in sociological and biological terms.

who is this lady?

this book deals with it all..... political influences racial influences geographical influences, societal influences, Anatomy, physiology, biology. The amount of statistics and evidence used to support her argument are amazing. She also seems to have some genuine insight into various ethnic groups. It is a straightforward and clear read but yet loaded with thought-provoking ideas! You have to read and reread it to be sure to capture everything she is trying to communicate. best read of the year so far!

Immersive

Filled with evidence, humorous and intriguing anecdotes from notable figures, and written in a way that gracefully captures your attention. Donna Postel does an amazing job.

iluminador

te ayuda a comprender muchas cosas que día a día te ayudan o no en la vida