Intimate Behaviour
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
What does it truly mean to touch and be touched — and why, in an increasingly disconnected world, are human beings starved of the very contact that defines them? In Intimate Behaviour, renowned zoologist and anthropologist Desmond Morris presents a rigorous and revelatory scientific study of human physical contact, tracing the biological and social roots of our most instinctive gestures — from the embrace of a mother and child to the complex rituals of adult intimacy. Drawing on his background in ethology, Morris argues that our capacity for closeness is not merely sentimental but is hardwired into our species, a fundamental need as vital as food or shelter. Written with the same accessible authority and intellectual daring that made The Naked Ape a global phenomenon, Intimate Behaviour illustrates how modern society systematically suppresses the very instincts that sustain our psychological wellbeing. Morris dissects the cultural forces — urbanisation, social taboo, and professional distance — that conspire to deprive us of meaningful human contact, and in doing so, he holds a mirror up to civilisation itself. Equal parts science and social commentary, this landmark work leaves the reader questioning not just how we touch, but whether we dare to at all.
Author: Desmond Morris
Format: Hardback
Genre: Anthropology
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
What does it truly mean to touch and be touched — and why, in an increasingly disconnected world, are human beings starved of the very contact that defines them? In Intimate Behaviour, renowned zoologist and anthropologist Desmond Morris presents a rigorous and revelatory scientific study of human physical contact, tracing the biological and social roots of our most instinctive gestures — from the embrace of a mother and child to the complex rituals of adult intimacy. Drawing on his background in ethology, Morris argues that our capacity for closeness is not merely sentimental but is hardwired into our species, a fundamental need as vital as food or shelter. Written with the same accessible authority and intellectual daring that made The Naked Ape a global phenomenon, Intimate Behaviour illustrates how modern society systematically suppresses the very instincts that sustain our psychological wellbeing. Morris dissects the cultural forces — urbanisation, social taboo, and professional distance — that conspire to deprive us of meaningful human contact, and in doing so, he holds a mirror up to civilisation itself. Equal parts science and social commentary, this landmark work leaves the reader questioning not just how we touch, but whether we dare to at all.