Humanish: What Talking to Your Cat or Naming Your Car Reveals About the Uniquely Human Need to Humanize

Anthropomorphism is an “utterly charming linchpin of the human mind,” contends animal cognition researcher Gregg (If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal) in this captivating survey. His study of the tendency to assign human-like attributes to the nonhuman covers household pets, cars, hurricanes, and teddy bears. Among other examples, Gregg describes a couple in search of a location for a dolphin-assisted water birth (some people believe the animals “are genuinely interested in helping humans deliver their babies”) and explains the tendency to humanize chatbots. It’s not all silly; Gregg also covers anthropomorphism’s darker side, including its manipulative use by politicians and advertisers, as when an Ikea ad garnered sympathy for a “poor, abandoned little lamp.” Elsewhere, he digs into how “the twisting of the Anthropo-Dial” can lead people to view groups other than their own as less than human. Delivering more than a compendium of colorful anecdotes, Gregg uses these examples to discuss evolutionary theories of anthropomorphism that posit it ensures humans “never miss the opportunity” to connect socially and may function as a “prediction-making device” for others’ desires. Filled with intriguing stories and astute explanations, this is a superb work of popular science. (Sept.)