In this era of genome projects and brain scans, it is easy to overestimate the role of biology in human psychology We hear that men and women think differently because their genes "hardwire" them to be a certain way, and the media go into a frenzy every time a scientist claims to have isolated the genes that cause alcoholism, obesity, or even bullying.Beyond Human Nature liberates us from this reductive, deterministic mode of thinking by shattering the myth that our identities are at the mercy of biological forces. In this passionate corrective to the idea that DNA is destiny, Jesse J. Prinz opens our eyes to the most extraordinary aspect of human nature: that nurture can supplement and supplant nature, allowing our minds to be profoundly influenced by experience and culture.Drawing on cutting-edge research in neuroscience, psychology, and anthropology, Prinz reveals how our differing cultures and life experiences shape every aspect of our behavior-including morality, love, sexuality, and success-thereby making each of us unique. To support his claims, he describes the latest studies on the nature of addiction, willpower, and intelligence as well as fascinating cultural phenomena-from a type of mental illness that only affects certain societies in Southeast Asia to the fact that American Southerners are twice as likely as Northerners to kill someone over an argument.A much-needed contribution to the nature-nurture debate, Beyond Human Nature shows that we must acknowledge that it is our cultures and our experiences-at least as much as our genes-that make us who we truly are. Read Less