Made for Each Other: The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond (Merloyd Lawrence Books)

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. Why Does Nothing Turn A Baby's Head More Quickly From Nursing Or Playing Than A Passing Dog Or Cat? How Did A Wolf Pup Taken Into An Ice Age Cave Learn To Keep Coming Back? Why Do Skittish Herd Animals Like Horses Form Such Devoted Bonds With Riders That A Twitch Of The Rein Can Send Them Into Battle Or Fire? Made For Each Other Is The First Book To Lay Out Both Sides Of This Deep Mutual Connection. Drawing On The Fascinating Work Of Scientists In A Wide Range Of Fields - From Behavioral Psychology And Neuroscience To Zoology And Anthropology - As Well As Her Own Investigations, Meg Daley Olmert Explores The Evolution And Hormonal Basis Of Biophilia, And Its Great Importance To Our Well-being. Her Compelling And Original Work Also Asks What Happens To Us When This Bond Is Severed, When Animals Become Mere Products To Be Harvested In Far-off, Impersonal Industries.--global Books In Print. Just Watching -- The Birth Of The Bond -- A Mind On Nature -- The Rules Of Engagement -- Brave New World -- Good Dog -- On The Shoulders Of Giants -- The Meeting Of The Minds -- The Dog Of The Hare -- New Game -- Made For Each Other -- The Survivors -- The Kids In The Coal Mine -- Oxytocin Deprivation -- Just Realizing. Meg Daley Olmert ; Illustrations By Virginia Daley. A Merloyd Lawrence Book. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 245-276) And Index. 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. Examining the behavioral psychology, neuroscience, and anthropology of animals, the evolution and biochemical roots of animals are explored in relation to the powerful connection they have had with the human race throughout history.