The Science of Identity

Based on research into genetics, brain activity, emotions, and social structures, this book explores how a person's traits, qualities, and beliefs contribute to their identity. Topics include stereotyping, gender, sexuality, and more. The book focuses more on sociopolitical factors than psychosocial factors, especially in the beginning. It's enlightening and easy to understand.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was an engaging and enlightening collection of articles that covered the many aspects of life and varied sciences that are part of the study of a person's identity. As with everything that Scientific American publishes, these articles were very readable and accessible to me as a non-scientist. It was fascinating to think about how parts of our lived experiences impact us in such a lasting manner and in so many different ways. From what our family genetics are, to where we were raised, and even to what society was like during our earliest years even before our memory can recall, this collection of articles highlights the many ways we come to be who we are. This is a solid read and each article in it was chosen to build one on top of the other to challenge us to consider not just how we view our own identity but how we understand and interact with others. Overall, this is a collection that will stay with me and have me thinking “I wonder what made this person who they are today?”

My review is based on the Kindle Edition that was text only and I found myself missing the illustrations, charts, and graphs that bring issues of Scientific American alive for me and increase my retention of materials.

This book has a great collection of articles related to identity from a variety of areas. Some are amazing like the death metal listeners. Its a good source of insightful thoughts in the area of identity. Recommendation for researchers to have it