Made for Each Other: The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond (Merloyd Lawrence Book) by Meg Daley Olmert | 9780306817366 | Get Textbooks | New Textbooks | Used Textbooks

Nothing turns a baby’s head more quickly than the sight or sound of an animal. This fascination is driven by the ancient chemical forces that first drew humans and animals together. It is also the same biology that transformed wolves into dogs and skittish horses into valiant comrades that would carry us into battle.

Made for Each Other is the first book to explain how this chemistry of attraction and attachment flows through—and between—all mammals to create the profound emotional bonds humans and animals still feel today.

Drawing on recent discoveries from neuroscience, evolutionary biology, behavioral psychology, archeology, as well as her own investigations, Meg Daley Olmert explains why the brain chemistry humans and animals trigger in each other also has a profound effect on our mental and physical well being.

This lively and original investigation asks what happens when the bond is severed. If thousands of years of caring for animals infused us with a biology that shaped our hearts and minds, do we dare turn our back on it? Daley Olmert makes a compelling and scientific case for what our hearts have always known, that we were, and always will be, made for each other.

		Made for Each Other: The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond (Merloyd Lawrence Books) by Meg Daley Olmert ISBN-10: 9780306817366 ISBN-10: 0-306-81736-5 ISBN-13: 9780306817366 ISBN-13: 978-0-306-81736-6 Hardcover 2009-02-03 Da Capo Press Find Lowest Price
Editorials

Product Description Nothing turns a baby’s head more quickly than the sight or sound of an animal. This fascination is driven by the ancient chemical forces that first drew humans and animals together. It is also the same biology that transformed wolves into dogs and skittish horses into valiant comrades that would carry us into battle. Made for Each Other is the first book to explain how this chemistry of attraction and attachment flows through—and between—all mammals to create the profound emotional bonds humans and animals still feel today. Drawing on recent discoveries from neuroscience, evolutionary biology, behavioral psychology, archeology, as well as her own investigations, Meg Daley Olmert explains why the brain chemistry humans and animals trigger in each other also has a profound effect on our mental and physical well being. This lively and original investigation asks what happens when the bond is severed. If thousands of years of caring for animals infused us with a biology that shaped our hearts and minds, do we dare turn our back on it? Daley Olmert makes a compelling and scientific case for what our hearts have always known, that we were, and always will be, made for each other.
Reviews

I always knew my dog-love was more than just 'cute!' This book is not a touchy-feely story of how much humans love their pets. No anecdotes about how Spot saved my life. Instead, this is a thoroughly researched, readable explanation of how humans evolved alongside of animals...watching them, then catching and using them, domesticating them. How our evolution was impacted by them. And how our biological systems are effected by them and vice versa. Completely compelling. I've given it as a gift to several friends with dogs.Made for Each Other: The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond (Merloyd Lawrence Books)
Exceeds expectations I have read a number of books on human/animal relationships, none of them match the scope and clarity of Olmert's MADE FOR EACHOTHER. The book's lighthearted cover art betrays it's vast contents. This is not a cutesy,nostalgic tribute to pets; this is a serious scholarly inquiry that breaks down the human/animal bond on a molecular level. This book also presents a fascinating history of the domestication of mammals. What you are in for is a engaging history that shows how oxytocin has shaped interspecies relationships. If you like science writers like E.O. Wilson, then you will be sure to appreciate Olmert's MADE FOR EACHOTHER.
Amazing Book! I am an animal lover, have been around them most of my life -- cats, dogs, horses --and have found, during the rare periods when I didn't have at least one of the above, that my life was curiously empty and sort of gray. And now, I understand why. This is a compelling account of the history of animal/human interdependence, gracefully written, with lots of insights into both sides of the equation. Olmert writes very clearly, with plenty of detail, but is not forbiddingly technical. Lots and lots of insights, great stories -- just a wonderful book! It's a keeper!!
A good Book About Dogs I like the book. I haven't read very much, but I learned a lot from what I have read. I am looking forward to finishing this book
fascinating but repetitive; where was her editor? Meg Olmert's book is fascinating and well worth reading. Her editor, however, did her no favors in failing to edit out repetitive sections. Read the book anyway.