Exploring the psychology of everyday behaviour, this book uses an evolutionary perspective to explain experiences that many people share and can easily relate to.

This book focuses on topics that are applicable to what people do and experience in their daily lives. Why do we choose the partners we do? Why do we laugh? Why is play so essential for children? Why are we drawn to stories, music, and sweet food? The book examines such topics as sex and relationships, humour, family dynamics, religion, and media and technology through an evolutionary psychology perspective, looking deep into the ancestral past to uncover the adaptive roots of modern life. In so doing, it reveals how ancient psychological mechanisms continue to shape daily choices, pleasures, fears and relationships. Each chapter can be read as a standalone topic or as part of a bigger exploration to understand why we do what we do.

Written in an accessible style and covering common human behaviours and experiences, this is the ideal book for undergraduate students in introductory modules, as well as more specific courses on such topics as Psychology of Sport, Psychology of Humour, and Psychology of Music. It will also appeal to anyone with an interest in psychological science looking to understand themselves and others.

Gil Greengross is an evolutionary behavioural scientist in the psychology department at Aberystwyth University, UK. He does interdisciplinary research that bridges traditional fields of study such as psychology, anthropology, and biology.

Lance Workman has many years of experience teaching evolutionary and biological psychology at the University of South Wales, University of Bath Spa and University College of Chester. He has also taught sociobiology at undergraduate level at the University of Sussex. He is currently a visiting Professor of Psychology at the University of South Wales, UK.

Nigel Holt taught and worked in psychology for over 25 years, starting in research in how humans combine light and sound into a single unit in the University of York, through research posts at the University of Reading and Leeds. He has been head of Psychology for 6 years at Aberystwyth University, UK