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

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: oxytocin deprivation, tireless scrutiny, zoo program, Ice Age, Ray Hunt, Kerstin Uvnas-Moberg (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Many people will attest to the happiness pets bring, but few are aware of the neurochemical basis. In one of those delectably synergistic books that tie together threads of science, history, and everyday life, Olmert explains the evolutionary processes behind what E. O. Wilson calls biophilia, our love and need for animals. The complex story begins with the hormone oxytocin. First identified as the agent for labor contractions and breast-feeding, oxytocin is now recognized as the biological factor in social bonding. Olmert tracks the far-reaching power of oxytocin back to our Ice Age ancestors’ transformation into hunters, the forging of communities, and the welcoming of wolves around the hearth. As wolves evolved into dogs, it is oxytocin that turned them into “man’s best friend,” and the same mutually beneficial oxytocin-enhancing chemistry makes possible the close bonds between humans and horses, cattle, and cats. Studies proving the remarkable therapeutic effects of pets bolster Olmert’s mind-stretching assertion that our close relationships with other species are organically necessary for our well-being. More proof of the astonishing intricacy of life’s interconnectivity. --Donna Seaman

Review

Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation
“A fascinating exploration into the foundations of the human-animal bond and of our relationships with animals.

E. O. Wilson, Harvard University author of Biophilia
“An original, exceptionally interesting book. It is also a feel-good-about-ourselves book, and we surely need more of those in today’s strife-torn environment.”

Kirkus, 12/15/08
“A warm exploration of the bond that might just keep humans sane ‘until our own species can settle down again and act civilized.'"

Barbara Smuts, author of Sex and Friendship in Baboons and Primate Societies
“Wide-ranging, fascinating, poignant and clearly heartfelt….Timely because if connects the human-animal bond to the latest work in neuroscience, animal behavior, and the relationship between these fields.”

Scientific American Mind, 1/27/09
“[A] heartwarming and fascinating book…Olmert makes a convincing case that we are better off with [animals] in our lives.”

Booklist, 2/15/09
“More proof of the astonishing intricacy of life’s interconnectivity.”

Bookslut, 1/31/09
“Made for Each Other turns a bright light on animal-human relationships, and raises provocative questions about the relationship of biology and behavior."

Sante Fe New Mexican, 2/8/09
“[Olmert] comes to some fascinating conclusions.”

Boston Globe, 2/15/09
“A nice companion volume to Grandin’s...Olmert weaves together the evolution of the bond between people and animals with the latest science.”

The Bark, March/April 2009
“Olmert creates a compelling case for our seemingly innate attraction to animals.”

New Scientist, 3/14/09
“A fascinating, wide-ranging and easy read about the biology of the human-animal bond.”

Bust, 3/19/09
“Meg Daley Olmert expertly sums up a slew of scientific studies that show oxytocin to have a hand in everything from the monogamous mating habits of prairies voles to the early relationship between a human mom and her newborn.”

Natural History, 4/09
“Meg Daley Olmert…has investigated the scientific and historical background of the bond between humans and their domestic animals, finding that it’s as socially complex and meditated as the love we humans have for each other.”

Orion, 6/09
“Olmert calls on a wealth of behavioral psychology, zoology, and anthropology to explain the neuroscience behind the evolution of domestication and the mutual benefits of human-animal bonding.”

Metapsychology.com, 8/25/09
“Wide-ranging and well-researched…An entertaining and insightful book crammed with interesting science presented in a thoroughly accessible way. Olmert convincingly shows that the urge to connect with animals is deep in our nature, and she livens up her writing with engaging stories and intriguing tidbits of information that make for fascinating reading.”

Choice, September 2009 issue
“Engagingly written…Recommended. This is a ‘feel-good’ book about human-animal relationships.”

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (February 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306817365
• ISBN-13: 978-0306817366
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,899 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #61 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Evolution

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars important, fascinating and vivid, March 1, 2009

By	Sy Montgomery (Hancock NH) - See all my reviews

MADE FOR EACH OTHER is the most fascinating and important book I've read in a long time. Meg Olmert's thesis--that our natural bond with our fellow animals has a basis in our brain chemistry--explains a great deal, not only about our relationship with pets, livestock and wildlife but also about human evolution.
The book is a fun, fast read, too, studded with gems of facts: the Egyptians seem to have tamed hyenas and giraffes. Plants recognize other plants that are related to them, and refrain from competing with relatives. When foxes are bred for docility of temperament, within a few generations their markings begin to look like those of border collies. Wow!
I learned a great deal from this book, and much of it was very good news indeed: that our very biochemistry weds us, and our happiness, to the rest of animate creation.
--Sy Montgomery
author of The Good Good Pig
and other books

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great gift idea!, March 3, 2009

By	B. Alexander (Reston, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a must read for animal lovers everywhere. It's helpful and interesting to know why we love our pets ... and our kids .... so much! I read it on my kindle and so was able to easily highlight interesting items, and found myself doing that often. Since becoming a kindle reader, that's how I judge how important I've found my latest read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Animals and Humans, February 28, 2009

By	Patricia R. Clark - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was unfamiliar with oxytocin until I read this well researched, informative and interesting book. I know now why I literally glow inside when I am petting or playing with dogs or cats. A must reading for all animal lovers. Thank you Meg Daley Olmert.
Pat Clark