Why Only Humans Weep

Why Only Humans Weep
Author :
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Total Pages : 304
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780191506239
ISBN-13 : 0191506230
Rating : 4/5 (39 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Why Only Humans Weep by : Ad Vingerhoets

Download or read book Why Only Humans Weep written by Ad Vingerhoets and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2013-02-28 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Crying has fascinated mankind for millenia. Since ancient times, we have known that emotional tears are a unique human characteristic. Unsurprisingly, over hundreds of years, scholars from different backgrounds have speculated about the origin and functions of human tears. According to Charles Darwin, tears fulfilled no adaptive function. And yet, this seems in sharp contrast to statements in the popular media about the significance of crying. Crying is thought to bring relief and is considered healthy - and withholding tears unhealthy. In addition, tears have been said to inhibit aggression in assaulters and to promote social bonding. Perhaps that could explain why tears have been so important in our evolution. Ad Vingerhoets is one of the few scientists in the world to have studied crying. He examines in Why only humans weep which claims about crying are scientifically tenable - which are fact and which are fiction? Though a psychologist, he doesn't just restrict himself to the current psychological literature, but also explores work in evolutionary biology, neurosciences, theology, art, history, and anthropology to provide an integrated perspective on this complex phenomenon. Written throughout in an academically accessible style, this book is groundbreaking in contributing to a modern scientific understanding of crying. It will have broad appeal to psychologists, psychiatrists, philosophers, biologists, and anthropologists.


Why Only Humans Weep Related Books

Why Only Humans Weep
Language: en
Pages: 304
Authors: Ad Vingerhoets
Categories: Psychology
Type: BOOK - Published: 2013-02-28 - Publisher: OUP Oxford

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Crying has fascinated mankind for millenia. Since ancient times, we have known that emotional tears are a unique human characteristic. Unsurprisingly, over hund
Why Humans Like to Cry
Language: en
Pages: 241
Authors: Michael Trimble
Categories: Medical
Type: BOOK - Published: 2014-08-08 - Publisher: Oxford University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Humans are unique in shedding tears of sorrow. We do not just cry over our own problems: we seek out sad stories, go to film and the theatre to see Tragedies, a
Why Only Humans Weep
Language: en
Pages: 305
Authors: Ad Vingerhoets
Categories: Medical
Type: BOOK - Published: 2013-02-28 - Publisher: Oxford University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Crying has fascinated mankind for millenia. Since ancient times, we have known that our ability to produce emotional tears is unique human characteristic. This
Crying
Language: en
Pages: 184
Authors: William H. Frey
Categories: Psychology
Type: BOOK - Published: 1985 - Publisher: Harper San Francisco

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

When Elephants Weep
Language: en
Pages: 322
Authors: Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
Categories: Nature
Type: BOOK - Published: 2009-10-21 - Publisher: Delta

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This national bestseller exploring the complex emotional lives of animals was hailed as "a masterpiece" by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas and as "marvelous" by Jane