Curious Behavior: Yawning, Laughing, Hiccupping, and Beyond Hardcover – August 31, 2012

A lively and entertaining romp through the quirks and oddities of the least controllable of human behaviors. The writing style and topics are so provocative, one is hard pressed not to enact these behaviors while reading. (Rachel Herz, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, and author of That's Disgusting)

The indefatigably curious Robert Provine explores the little quirks of behavior that—so far—have fascinated everyone but the scientists, and in doing so illuminates many aspects of our social lives, inner lives, and evolutionary origins. (Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of How the Mind Works and The Better Angels of Our Nature)

Robert Provine shows how the methods of sidewalk neuroscience (simple and cheap observations of everyday life that everyone can do) can give rise to an alternative science of psychology. This is a delight to read, fascinating and humane and very often funny. (Paul Bloom, Yale University, author of How Pleasure Works)

Why do we laugh? Why do we yawn? Why do we cry? What is itch? Finally, here is a book that addresses these age-old issues! Provine, the leading researcher of such phenomena, discovers the extraordinary hidden in plain sight. It's a joy to read. (James W. Kalat, North Carolina State University, author of Biological Psychology (11th ed.))

Curious Behavior offers a lively and often surprising look at all the different ways we sneeze, cough, yawn, and broadcast other bodily functions. Open this book, which is based on serious research but reads like a detective novel, and find out how much more there is to such behavior than you ever thought. (Frans de Waal, Emory University, author of The Age of Empathy)

In this marvelous book, Provine—a pioneer in the field—puts these phenomena in proper evolutionary contexts, arguing that such seemingly odd quirks can often illuminate our understanding of human nature. (V.S. Ramachandran, University of California, San Diego, author of The Tell-Tale Brain)

The book provides a not-yet definitive, but often fascinating, take on our most curious behaviors. (Publishers Weekly 2012-06-04)

Provine has written a charming ode to 'Small Science'—science that does not require a large budget or fancy equipment but that is interesting nonetheless. Taking examples from his own research, some of which involved nothing more complicated than stalking graduate students and observing how and when they laugh, he explains the origins of some of the most prevalent, but often overlooked, human behaviors. (Anna Kuchment Scientific American 2012-08-01)

With its many facts and anecdotes and unexpected stories, [Curious Behavior] begs you to continue where curiosity leads you, down both the boulevards and the back alleys of science. And that is exactly how [Provine] thinks science should be pursued. (James Gorman New York Times 2012-08-13)

In this charmingly written and profoundly informative book, Provine gives us what he calls "sidewalk" neuroscience, a "scientific approach to everyday behavior based on simple observations and demonstrations that readers, even advanced grade-schoolers, can use to confirm, challenge, or extend the reported findings." In this era of "neurorealism," where much of the public believes you aren't doing real science if you aren't using fMRI to scan some brains, Provine's work in "small science" is refreshing. "The Small Science of this book is 'small,'" he explains, not because it is trivial but because it does not require "fancy equipment and a big budget." Small science teaches the art of observation and methods of interpretation: "Everyday life is teeming with the important and unexpected, if you know where to look and how to see." This message alone is worth the price of admission...Provine romps through the range of "curious behaviors" of his title, with each chapter offering up enlightening and unexpected findings...[A] marvelous book..."Small science" at its best. (Carol Tavris Wall Street Journal 2012-08-24)

Robert R. Provine is Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.