Wired for culture : origins of the human social mind / Mark Pagel.

New York : W.W. Norton, [2012], ©2012.

xi, 416 pages ; 25 cm

Includes bibliographical references (p. [383]-392) and index.

Introduction : the gamble -- pt. 1. Mind control, protection, and prosperity. The occupation of the world ; Ultra-sociality and the cultural survival vehicle ; The domestication of our talents ; Religion and other cultural "enhancers" -- pt. 2. Cooperation and our cultural nature. Reciprocity and the shadow of the future ; Green beards and the reputation marketplace ; Hostile forces -- pt. 3. The theatre of the mind. Human language -- the voice of our genes ; Deception, consciousness, and truth -- pt. 4. The many and the few. Termite mounds and the exploitation of our social instincts.