Book Review: Understanding the Role of Hormones in Social Relationships

Abstract

Reviews the book, Endocrinology of social relationships edited by Peter T. Ellison and Peter B. Gray (2009). The editors and authors of the 16 chapters within Endocrinology of Social Relationships should be very happy with themselves. The book they have produced is a comprehensive review of the recent developments within the field of hormones and social relationships. Let there be no mistake, however; this book is not one that would make for an easy read on a Sunday afternoon. It is densely packed with details and is not for the faint-hearted. This said, it is an incredible resource for anyone who has studied or ever wondered about the biological underpinnings of human’s (or even non-human’s) social interactions, and would be excellent for a graduate course on applied endocrinology. In the past 15 years, there have been many studies published on the topic of hormones’ roles in social relationships, but never before has there been one definitive volume that reviews the entire area with such a high degree of accuracy. Given that some developments within this area have been recent, the book represents a formidable effort to collect the modern work into one volume, and as a result, it will serve as a 'go-to' text for many years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)