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The Author
Dario Maestripieri
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In the almost fifty years since the
publication of Eric Berne's bestselling book
Games People Play we have made
significant progress in our understanding of human
relationships. In Games Primates Play, Dario
Maestripieri
integrates theories and data from evolutionary biology and
behavioral economics to explain the way people
behave toward their romantic or business partners, their
friends or family members. And he shows that when
it comes to social relationships, human beings didn't invent
anything new: other primates play exactly the same
games.
Watch Dario Maestripieri talk about Games Primates
Play on WTTW Chicago Tonight
Praise for Games
Primates Play
"At the end of the day, there is no social
interaction of humans that does not bear the imprint
of our being a
species
of animal, of primate, of ape. In this smart and
witty book, one of our finest primatologists,
Dario
Maestripieri, gives a tour of human social behavior
and its primate legacy. A fun, insightful read."
- Robert Sapolsky, author of Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, Monkeyluv, and A Primate's Memoir
"There's a new
maestro on the block, and he's written a great book.
When a chimp strays into a strange troop,
why is
he at risk of getting his testicles ripped off?
Whose eyeballs is a capuchin monkey most likely to
poke?
How
would a long-tail macaque take over Microsoft? Read
Dario Maestripieri, and capisce..."
- Laura Betzig, author of Despotism and Differential Reproduction: A Darwinian View of History
"Generally, junior professors write long and
unsolicited emails to senior professors, who reply
with short ones
after a delay; the juniors then reply quickly and at
length. This is not because the seniors are busier,
for
they, too, write longer and more punctually when
addressing their deans and funders, who reply more
briefly and tardily. The asymmetry in length and
speed of reply correlates with dominance. When a
subordinate chimpanzee grooms a dominant one, it
often does so for a long time and unsolicited.
When it requests to be groomed in turn, it receives
only a brief grooming and usually after having to
ask
a second time. This gorgeous little juxtaposition of
tales comes from a new book by Dario Maestripieri
.... which is devoted to ramming home a lesson that
we all seem very reluctant to learn: that much of
our
behavior, however steeped in technology, is entirely
predictable to primatologists. .. Dr. Maestripieri
then
offers a fascinating analysis of the conundrum of
peer review in science .... Dr. Maestripieri's most
intriguing chapter is entitled 'Cooperate in the
spotlight, compete in the dark. He describes how
people,
like monkeys, can be angels of generosity when all
eyes are on them, but devils of spite in private."
-
Matt Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist:
How Prosperity Evolves, Genome,
The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human
Nature, The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and
the Evolution of Cooperation, The Agile Gene: How
Nature Turns on Nurture
"Engaging... Maestripieri offers solid grounding
in the basics of animal behavior while discussing
the
evolutionary roots of complex social patterns. The
behaviors he focuses on are both critical and
fascinating:
sexual choice, dominance relationships, the nature
of altruism and selfishness, and coalition building,
among others."
-Publishers Weekly
"Maestripieri has analyzed human and primate
behavior patterns -- the "games" individuals play
with each
other
-- and shows us the similarities to other primates
in this fascinating survey. Using wonderful
comparative
studies
and conversational language, Maestripieri brings us
back to our primate roots so that we can better
understand why we do the things we do."
-Booklist
"Evolutionary biologist Dario Maestripieri uncovers
the roots of human social behaviour using
psychology,
behavioural science and economics. Reasoning that
social selective pressures are similar in humans and
other primates - and roping in 'rational' models
such as game theory - he examines everyday
situations from
multiple perspectives. Whether scoping out the
'elevator dilemma' of sharing a confined space with
strangers,
the human tendency to nepotism, or the 'economics of
love', Maestripieri argues his case compellingly."
-Nature
"This informative and provocative work is a major
contribution to understanding and appreciating the
nature
and behavior of humankind."
- Library Journal
"Just how our biology drives behaviour is the
subject of numerous books, but Maestripieri does a
commendable
job of bringing something fresh to his analysis...
Games Primates Play is an interesting, funny and
engaging
study of human nature."
- The New Scientist
"Behavioral biologist Dario Maestripieri launches
from this example into a spirited, insightful
narrative that
explores the ways our interpersonal relationships
resemble those of our primate cousins, suggesting
evolutionary roots for a range of social behaviors
including nepotism, cultivating friends, and
climbing the
corporate ladder."
- Discover Magazine
"Even decked in cultural finery, people make monkeys
of themselves. Maestripieri, a veteran monkey
investigator, builds a fascinating and occasionally
disturbing case for fundamental similarities in the
social
shenanigans of people, apes, and monkeys due to a
shared evolutionary heritage."
- Science News
Praise for Dario Maestripieri's "Macachiavellian Intelligence:
How Rhesus Macaques and Humans Have Conquered the World."
“Macachiavellian Intelligence provides
deep insights into the fascinating psychology of both rhesus
macaques and
humans. Written in an engaging style with gripping examples that highlight key
principles, it
gives readers a profound understanding of the things we all care
about—sex, status, dominance, aggression,
kin, cooperation, and conflict.
Macachiavellian Intelligence is a must-read for anyone interested in the
strategies we primates use to navigate the complexities of social living.”
<David M. Buss, author of The
Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating and The Murderer
Next
Door: Why the Mind is Designed to Kill>
"Dario Maestripieri has spent more than 20 years
studying rhesus macaques; he knows what he is talking
about. Maestripieri tells the story with incisive prose, sharp wit and admirable
brevity. He also has perfect
timing. The idea that our human brains evolved largely to deal with the demands
of society is very much in
fashion."
<Alison Jolly, The Times - Higher Education Supplement>
"Primate books are good for us. They remind us that we're primates, too. And the
embarassing primate
books are best. Macachiavellian Intelligence is an excellently
embarassing primate book, and just
the thing to make us blush and shuffle our feet."
<Michael Bywater, The Telegraph>
