The Moral Molecule

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What to expect

Is morality universal? Why are men less faithful than women? Why do some businesses succeed while others collapse? If we have a natural impulse to empathise and care for each other, why are there psychopaths?
Neuroscientist and economist Paul Zak has spent 10 years researching to answer these questions and discover the chemical driver of our behaviour. His research has led him from a 'vampire' wedding in Devon to the jungle of Papua New Guinea and from the US military to a Buddhist monastory.

Detective story, adventure and scientific discovery rolled into one, The Moral Molecule is a brilliant read: compulsively entertaining and potentially life-changing.

Critics Review

  • Paul Zak tells the remarkable story of how he discovered and explored the biochemistry of sympathy, love and trust with the narrative skill of a novelist. Philosophy, economics and biology have rarely been so entertaining

    Matt Ridley, author of "Genome"

  • An ancient mammalian molecule prods us to bond with others. Paul Zak offers a most engaging account of this important discovery, bound to overthrow traditional thinking about human behavior, including economics and morality

    Frans de Waal, author of "The Age of Empathy"

  • Paul Zak’s investigations into the best things in life are inspired, rigorous, and tremendous fun. We need more daring economists like him

    Tyler Cowen, author of "The Great Stagnation" and "An Economist Gets Lunch"

  • An engaging read

    BBC Focus

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