The Tangled Wing: Biological Constraints on the Human Spirit

Melvin Konner's The Tangled Wing is a shining example of the way science is done. The depth of scholarship is truly inspiring - Konner remarked that there were originally two hundred pages of notes, "the meticulous preparation of which added at least a year to the project" (they were published online to keep the cost of the book down). Warning: after reading this book, the methodology of other authors might seem pathetically underwhelming by comparison. The next two books I read as part of my master's degree in engineering management seemed ludicrously speculative by comparison, with poor or nonexistent empirical support. A joke, in short, made all the more laughable due to the stark contrast with the depth of scholarship displayed in The Tangled Wing. Scientific authors often have to trade off between popular appeal of their books and usefulness to the academic community. Konner settled that compromise more on the academic side, but I wouldn't say this book is wholly inaccessible to those outside the academic community (my education is in engineering, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it). If you don't mind wading through a little jargon about neurotransmitters and brain regions, there are plenty of fascinating gems to be discovered. And laymen might be just as impressed by the methodology of a real scientist as they are by the discoveries garnered thereby. There is a chapter about weight regulation titled 'Gluttony' that I found particularly interesting. This is a deceptively complex topic that is subject to much pseudoscience and uninformed opinion, so it is refreshing to see the bright light of science shone upon it. I'll summarize some of the findings: "Between the age twenty-five and fifty-five, the average American puts on an additional twenty pounds; all this takes is an energy intake that exceeds energy output by one third of one percent. " The sensations of hunger and satiety (fullness) are regulated by a complicated system using various forms of feedback, and tiny variations can make all the difference. "40 to 70 percent of human variation in plumpness is genetic, as measured in various ways in many studies. In a classic adoption study led by Albert Stunkard, 540 adult Danish adoptees were compared with their biological and adoptive parents. The subjects ranged from thin to extremely obese, and this dimension was highly predictable from the fatness of either biological parent but not from either or both adoptive parents...the family environment had no apparent effect." "The meal-ending signal system is framed by the long-term fat-regulation system." In other words, when you have more body fat than your "set point," you feel full after eating less food than you otherwise would, triggering a loss of weight. "Unfortunately, it works both ways. Go on a diet, reduce your fat mass, and pretty soon your meal-ending sensors don't hear so well anymore." So lose weight and it takes more food to make you feel full, stimulating weight gain. This is combined with another insidious effect: the body regulates its fat content by varying its metabolic rate, so losing weight means the body reduces its energy consumption. "Energy output is reduced by even a small (10 percent) weight loss, deliberate or not, so a 'formerly obese person requires approximately fifteen percent fewer calories to maintain a 'normal' body weight than a person of the same body composition who has never been obese.' This is due to an 18 percent decrease in energy use at rest and a 25 percent decrease in energy use while active." So an obese person who loses weight may 1) require more food to feel full than they used to and 2) their metabolism may decrease so their body naturally burns fewer calories than it used to. It's as if the body is striving to achieve a certain amount of body fat, called the "set point," which varies from person to person. These two factors explain why weight loss is rarely achieved in the long term. Why does the human body seem to be designed for obesity? We evolved under hunter-gatherer conditions, when periodic food deficits were the norm. Studies of modern hunter-gatherer societies show that mild to severe food deficits are common, during which times stored fat confers survival advantage. This was probably also true in our species' history. "Natural selection could not provide us with an effective mechanism for keeping our weight down in times of abundance for the simple reason that it was giving us quite the opposite, a system that piles on excess fat in times of abundance, stores to draw on during shortages. Since there was rarely continuous abundance during the whole of human evolution - and certainly not combined with physical indolence - natural selection cannot have prepared us for such conditions."

This book was recommended to my by an anthropologist friend many years ago. It was instrumental in launching me on a multi-year study of evolutionary psychology and remains one of my favorite books of all time. Part One gives an excellent introduction to our evolutionary history and how our brains work. Part Two is an engaging look at the history and experience of our most basic emotions. Dr. Konner is an eminent scientist as attested by this work and even more so by his more recent book "The Evolution of Childhood." In 'Wing' he presents good science on topics critical to human existence in a most engaging way. I chose to give a copy of this book to a most promising clinical psychology intern I just supervised as it is thought provoking on a number of subjects.

Very interesting and includes more information about the fairly recent discovery of the gene that causes some people; particularly women, to lose weight. It's a very primal part of the brain that "prepares" the body for famine and, at the moment, they don't know how to help people overcome this genetic condition. Good to understand however....

This is a long thick book. The main text is close to 500 pages. Reading it is not easy. I find it necessary to make serious attempts to stay focussed in reading the book. At times it can be repetitive. But if you are lucky enough to read it through back to back, the gain will be immense. The plan of the book is as follows: An introduction warns the reader not to romanticize exotic cultures. Part 1 (Ch. 1 to 8) explains clearly that at least the foundation or scaffolding of our behaviors are determined by our genes. BUT at the same time, genetically related wirings of the brain CAN be modified by the environment. In this part of the book some basic neurology related to human behavior is discussed. Part 2 (Ch. 9 to 15) explores basic human emotions, urges and behaviors. The psychology, neurology and biochemistry are all discussed. I am a practising physician, and I am most rewarded by the chapter on "Gluttony". I now know why my patients have difficulties in losing weight. I am surprised that I was not taught about all these in medical school! These chapters can at times read tedious but as I have said they are very rewarding indeed. Part 3 (Ch. 16 and 17) reminds the reader (even though grounds have been covered throughout the earlier chapters) that in spite of the importance of genes in influencing over behavior, NURTURE is also important. The author somehow seems to change the focus of the book and speculates upon the future of human beings and whether we are still able to save ourselves from self-destruction through follies. Part 4 (Ch. 18) gets even further away from the earlier chapters. It is very moving. It is about social justice and the thesis is that human selfishness can be modified because of the importance of NURTURE upon our behvior. Pert 5 (Ch. 19) is very short, only 4 pages long. To me it's about spirituality. So what have you got here? A long book on human behavior and the author's manifesto on how to save the world. I do not necessarily agree with him, but the book does teach me a lot. Some of it may even be useful for my clinical practice. My only slight disappointment is that this book, a book on human behavior, almost leaves religion out. It only mentions it tangentially (pg 481 - 482).

This is a review of the Holt Paperback version of the updated book ONLY, not the work per se. Bought new directly from Amazon (about $20) I think this is probably the version most people are likely to buy now. I give the work 5 stars for obvious reasons, but the quality of the paperback is poor in my opinion. I've seen many print-to-order books that are much better in quality than this one. The paper and print are not quite newspaperish, but they are More like that than not. The print itself is fuzzy and the pulp-like texture of the paper only makes it harder to read comfortably. (Maybe it IS the pulp-like quality of the paper itself that makes the print so unclear?) It is not as bad as a cheap mass market paperback; the paper is at least white, when new; but for a first rate text like this it is a shoddy production. I bought the updated version to supplement my 30+ year-old hardcover copy of the first edition (also published by Holt, way back when). My 1982 copy is still, after all these years, an order of magnitude better in terms of material quality than this new version "hot of the press." This work is so good that I will not read it in this low-grade condition, even if "new," and will now go in search of a hardcover copy of the updated edition, and hope for better results. This work deserves far better treatment by its publisher than it has received. And so do its readers!

As a previous student of Dr. Konner and a student of Neuroscience and Psychology, I must say that over the years I have read many, many books on human behavior and this is the absolute best by far. There is no book that is comprable to The Tangled Wing in it's thoroughness and it's readability. I have read this book cover to cover twice and use it for reference often. His research in the field is extensive. Dr. Konner is a marvelous speaker and his writings are equally captivating. New research in the field is developed upon the information contained in this book. Anyone interested in not only neuroscience, but how people are and why they are that way should read this book. It is very enjoyable and opens your eyes to seeing the world through a whole new perspective. My second favorite book is "Childhood" by Dr. Konner. It's a must read for anyone interested in understanding children.

This is the single best summary I've found of research on human nature, combining biological/medical, evolutionary, anthropological, ethological, and psychological data. The author is highly qualified but doesn't require you to simply accept his expertise; there's an extensive online bibliography (I mean EXTENSIVE!). He doesn't oversimplify, but appropriately qualifies conclusions and consistently points out alternative explanations and the "other hand." Although even this revised edition is now somewhat out of date, more recent research, at least in the fields I've been following, has supported rather than reversed the suggestions offered here. Most of the book explores, as the subtitle suggests, the ways in which biology sets directions and limits for our behavior. At the end he flips and discusses our capacity for change, but the discussions of current world problems (including distribution inequities, water shortage, and global warmng) and the historical review of the abuses of biological or supposedly-biological paradigms (e.g. Social Darwinism and eugenics programs) in recent centuries are not encouraging reading. This is not a light read, but it's fascinating and raises questions worth grappling with.

I enjoyed this book immensely. However, one complaint I have is in his treatment of race. Other species can differ in any way according to "race" or groups, but man can differ only in politically correct ways. Konner has only one short chapter on Murray and Hernstein's most excellent and careful work, "The Bell Curve". But seeming because of its conflict with Konner's politics, he dismisses it quite carelessly.

Came across this author having read and listened to Robert Sapolsky, who recommended him strongly. Melvin Konner is a gifted writer who expresses his knowledge of the subject in a most accessible way. I really enjoyed reading this book, and did so over a few days only. This is unusual for me as I tend to have several books on the go simultaneously. This book will be of interest to those studying medicine, biology, psychology and other subjects that can have an over-academic edge to their viewpoint. I prefer a bit of the arts to be embedded in any form of science, otherwise it doesn't sit well in my digestive system. The author helps to do this, and as a result makes his subject absorbing and vital. What a great book!

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