Explaining Humans: What Science Can Teach Us about Life, Love and Relationships
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- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Camilla Pang
- ISBN：0241987113
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Summary
How proteins， machine learning and molecular chemistry can teach us about the complexities of human behaviour and the world around us
How do we understand the people around us？ How do we recognise people's motivations， their behaviour， or even their facial expressions？ And， when do we learn the social cues that dictate human behaviour？
Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of eight， Camilla Pang struggled to understand the world around her and the way people worked。 Desperate for a solution， Camilla asked her mother if there was an instruction manual for humans that she could consult。 But， without the blueprint to life she was hoping for， Camilla began to create her own。 Now armed with a PhD in biochemistry， Camilla dismantles our obscure social customs and identifies what it really means to be human using her unique expertise and a language she knows best: science。
Through a set of scientific principles， this book examines life's everyday interactions including:
- Decisions and the route we take to make them;
- Conflict and how we can avoid it;
- Relationships and how we establish them;
- Etiquette and how we conform to it。
Explaining Humans is an original and incisive exploration of human nature and the strangeness of social norms， written from the outside looking in。 Camilla's unique perspective of the world， in turn， tells us so much about ourselves - about who we are and why we do it - and is a fascinating guide on how to lead a more connected， happier life。
How do we understand the people around us？ How do we recognise people's motivations， their behaviour， or even their facial expressions？ And， when do we learn the social cues that dictate human behaviour？
Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of eight， Camilla Pang struggled to understand the world around her and the way people worked。 Desperate for a solution， Camilla asked her mother if there was an instruction manual for humans that she could consult。 But， without the blueprint to life she was hoping for， Camilla began to create her own。 Now armed with a PhD in biochemistry， Camilla dismantles our obscure social customs and identifies what it really means to be human using her unique expertise and a language she knows best: science。
Through a set of scientific principles， this book examines life's everyday interactions including:
- Decisions and the route we take to make them;
- Conflict and how we can avoid it;
- Relationships and how we establish them;
- Etiquette and how we conform to it。
Explaining Humans is an original and incisive exploration of human nature and the strangeness of social norms， written from the outside looking in。 Camilla's unique perspective of the world， in turn， tells us so much about ourselves - about who we are and why we do it - and is a fascinating guide on how to lead a more connected， happier life。
Reviews
Tasha Hill
，
Despite being a nurse and working in health care， from this book I have realised science is not the language for me。 Also to consider， this book may just not be written for me。 It has given me a lot to consider however， my rating is on enjoyability， inability to finish， writing style。 Dr Pang has clearly had a lot to deal with and grown as a person to write this book， however this is not truly a memoir and also not truly a manual， it's a Hodge podge of the two and made it quite difficult to read Despite being a nurse and working in health care， from this book I have realised science is not the language for me。 Also to consider， this book may just not be written for me。 It has given me a lot to consider however， my rating is on enjoyability， inability to finish， writing style。 Dr Pang has clearly had a lot to deal with and grown as a person to write this book， however this is not truly a memoir and also not truly a manual， it's a Hodge podge of the two and made it quite difficult to read。May come back to in the future。 。。。more
Judith
，
As someone who studied psychology in uni and loves science， this book was a very interesting read。 It's funny because Millie used many chemistry/physics theories to explain human behaviour， but as a psych student who finds chem/phy very interesting but difficult to grasp， i was doing the opposite of Millie 😂I think unless you are someone who is on the ASD spectrum like Millie is， you probably won't get a lot out of this book if you're expecting a guide to make you understand how to be "human"。 B As someone who studied psychology in uni and loves science， this book was a very interesting read。 It's funny because Millie used many chemistry/physics theories to explain human behaviour， but as a psych student who finds chem/phy very interesting but difficult to grasp， i was doing the opposite of Millie 😂I think unless you are someone who is on the ASD spectrum like Millie is， you probably won't get a lot out of this book if you're expecting a guide to make you understand how to be "human"。 BUT this book is super interesting as you'll see mental processes that most people take for granted dissected and explained， and you'll also get a glimpse into what the mind of a person on the ASD spectrum may look like。 It is also fascinating how Millie links scientific theory to human behaviour in ways that i will never have thought of by myself （for example my favourite was the link between thermodynamics and perfectionism）。 。。。more
Adelyne
，
I really enjoyed this one， but reading through some of the other （many negative） reviews， I do agree that it takes a certain type of reader to get through this one and I guess I just ticked many of the boxes。 The title borders on misleading， which doesn't help， but I thought the author did well right at the start where she describes her background， and consequent motivation for writing this book， which in turn made it quite clear to me that it wasn't going to be about "explaining humans" for eve I really enjoyed this one， but reading through some of the other （many negative） reviews， I do agree that it takes a certain type of reader to get through this one and I guess I just ticked many of the boxes。 The title borders on misleading， which doesn't help， but I thought the author did well right at the start where she describes her background， and consequent motivation for writing this book， which in turn made it quite clear to me that it wasn't going to be about "explaining humans" for everyone， but rather "how I try to explain human behaviour" in the author's words。I like to consider myself a bit of a jack-of-all-trades scientist， although I do admit that often I trade-off depth of knowledge with being familiar with the lingo of several different fields。 Therefore I found much of this book at least relatable， but I can see how both a biochemist and a machine learning expert might find half of the book completely un-understandable and the other half potentially over-trivial。 That being said， I thought the book spoke well to me， and I found it interesting to read about Pang's thought processes as to why certain things appeared illogical to her， and how she "justifies" it， using the language of science。 The inclusion of cute drawings from what I presume is her notebook was a nice touch， though I have to admit that most of them were beyond me， and often I had to rely on the narrative where she outlines her thought process in words。There are many analogies used here， essentially one per chapter， as the way the book is structured is that Pang chooses one element of life （as she sees it） and draws parallels with some scientific or mathematical concept。 It therefore goes without saying that in order to appreciate the book， the reader needs to buy into the analogy， and I definitely found some are much more solid than others。 My favourite by far was the protein functions and human personality types （ironically I later found that this chapter was dedicated to "other scientists"）， but I can see how this parallel may make things even more complicated for some。 5 stars from me， and goes onto my keepers shelf （helped also by the incredibly beautiful cover， and the fact that I have this in hardback as a gift）， but definitely not for everyone。 。。。more
A O
，
An interesting look at human life in a scientific yet （mostly） understandable way。
Laura Aston
，
A valuable insight to different ways of seeing the world， hopefully broadening the tacit concept of what constitutes normal， happy and healthy。 There is also something for everyone in terms of explaining anxiety， relationships amd other human conditions using light hearted scientific analogies。
Jeff Saddington-Wiltshire
，
Written from a really interesting perspective。 It felt more like a memoir that a self-help book at times， but enjoyable nonetheless。 The links between science， which was pitched at around GCSE level， and the links to the human mind and behaviour were very insightful。 Would recommend！
Steve
，
Starts out quirkily unique but quickly becomes a bit too twee and a bit of a stretch to take especially seriously。 Disappointing。
AA_Logan
，
This is a really engaging and accessible book。 It’s written in a conversational style and breaks down some mighty big scientific concepts in a way that a layman such as myself could easily digest。It’s probably not fair to be disappointed by a book because it didn’t do what you were expecting it to do; my own preconceptions are at fault there。I’m neurotypical， but have a professional interest in， and， I hope， a reasonable understanding of， nureodiverse thinking， so when I read at the start of the This is a really engaging and accessible book。 It’s written in a conversational style and breaks down some mighty big scientific concepts in a way that a layman such as myself could easily digest。It’s probably not fair to be disappointed by a book because it didn’t do what you were expecting it to do; my own preconceptions are at fault there。I’m neurotypical， but have a professional interest in， and， I hope， a reasonable understanding of， nureodiverse thinking， so when I read at the start of the book that Dr。 Pang wanted to write the instruction manual for human interaction and navigating neurotypical society that she yearned for as a child， I was super excited。 This book uses metaphor and analogy from several scientific fields to explain social mores and then extrapolates on them to suggest why and individual might need to change their behaviours to better fit in， but very rarely does she explore *how* she practically applies this。 Obviously， what works for Dr。 Pang may not work for everybody， or even anybody else， but throughout I felt this extra depth was tantalisingly just beyond reach。The introduction does an exceptional job of establishing some of the realities of life for somebody with autism spectrum disorder， and had it remained more of a memoir than a tour through several fields of popular science I’d perhaps of enjoyed it even more。 It is still a distinctive book， and worthwhile reading for anyone wanting an overview of how societies function。 。。。more
Clémence Mary
，
Explaining Humans is one of the most beautiful book I ever read。 Camilla Pang explains scientific concepts easily so that even children can understand， but it is also funny， poetic and full of hopes to use those concepts as models to improve。 We can train our brain to always be better humans， select what is essential to help us reaching our goals and interacting positively with others。 It is reassuring being reminded we are not determined to our limited conditions， but do have unlimited potentia Explaining Humans is one of the most beautiful book I ever read。 Camilla Pang explains scientific concepts easily so that even children can understand， but it is also funny， poetic and full of hopes to use those concepts as models to improve。 We can train our brain to always be better humans， select what is essential to help us reaching our goals and interacting positively with others。 It is reassuring being reminded we are not determined to our limited conditions， but do have unlimited potentials to create a beautiful humankind， and being given concrete ways to do so。 。。。more
Wayne Yang
，
Was an interesting perspective with nice analogies with scientific systems and concepts but to be honest， skimmed through most of the book as it didnt really draw me in。
Katie
，
I was excited to read this as someone with ASD and someone who is especially interested in human behaviour。This isn't a book about understanding human behaviour really， if you want to learn about humans this isn't the best thing to read。The author uses complex （to a lay person like me） analogies about proteins and thermodynamics to explain people but。。。。 I already don't understand people intuitively， so then having to understand proteins， （which even biochemists dont really understand） is even m I was excited to read this as someone with ASD and someone who is especially interested in human behaviour。This isn't a book about understanding human behaviour really， if you want to learn about humans this isn't the best thing to read。The author uses complex （to a lay person like me） analogies about proteins and thermodynamics to explain people but。。。。 I already don't understand people intuitively， so then having to understand proteins， （which even biochemists dont really understand） is even more confusing。 "So you see， people behave exactly the same as these really complicated proteins that no one actually understands！"My mum is a biochemist and this maybe why I begin to switch off whenever someone starts to monologue about proteins。 I feel like this book was partly written to self indulgently infodump about science。 It does waffle on。 So I would have given it 3 stars， it wasn't too bad apart from the strong "not like other girls" vibes that I picked up from Dr Pang。 She points out the she wanted to be basic so bad she even googled how to be a basic bitch。 🤦♀️ Cringe。 Yes we get it Camilla。 You are Very Special and Very Smart。 。。。more
Avi Roy
，
This book is either a self-help book or a popular science book disguised as self-help。 No matter， if you are a neurotypical person， neuro-divergent person you will thoroughly enjoy reading this book where you will learn how to better oneself through applying fundamental concepts from mathematics， physics， chemistry， biology， and computer science。 Dr。 Camilla Pang’s mastery of a broad range of subjects， collectively with her self-effacing， and quirky sense of humor， makes her book stand out in co This book is either a self-help book or a popular science book disguised as self-help。 No matter， if you are a neurotypical person， neuro-divergent person you will thoroughly enjoy reading this book where you will learn how to better oneself through applying fundamental concepts from mathematics， physics， chemistry， biology， and computer science。 Dr。 Camilla Pang’s mastery of a broad range of subjects， collectively with her self-effacing， and quirky sense of humor， makes her book stand out in comparison to other self-help popular science titles。 。。。more
Emily Lee
，
Wavered between quite interesting and quite self indulgent
Peter Geyer
，
Early in this extremely interesting book， Camilla Pang tells of asking as a 4 year old whether there was a book on how to be human， something that occurred to me also at some time， although I didn't ask anyone about it， nor have I been diagnosed with Autism， ADHD， and an anxiety disorder， as has the author。 It's an excellent question， I think， particularly as it appears that it's all too often presumed that common sense， whatever that is， renders how to behave， or understand others is fairly str Early in this extremely interesting book， Camilla Pang tells of asking as a 4 year old whether there was a book on how to be human， something that occurred to me also at some time， although I didn't ask anyone about it， nor have I been diagnosed with Autism， ADHD， and an anxiety disorder， as has the author。 It's an excellent question， I think， particularly as it appears that it's all too often presumed that common sense， whatever that is， renders how to behave， or understand others is fairly straightforwardI also mention this partly because labels can be more fluid than users think， and also because I thought this was an obvious question to ask。 It might be something an outside such a social anthropologist might ask， for instance。 This is not to downplay the author's exposition of her conditions and how they impact on her life。 It's a refreshingly honest book， with much about learning and much to learn。Pang arrives at science as a way of helping her understand the various aspects of life and associated issues。 She does this not to promote a version of "scientism" but to explain the pursuit of science in a more nuanced way， where you don't start with the answer （a problem in personality measurement and elsewhere I think） but ask questions。 Her perspective， nuanced and open， is the opposite of those who wish to place scientific funding and research away from a spirit of enquiry where you don't know what you will discover or what your results might be。 The best way of illustrating this is her explanation of machine learning， nowhere near as rigid as the phrase implies， at least for me。 I found that her explanation of how it works and how it helped her to be logical and informative。In many respects， this is a book about neurodiversity， as opposed to generalised presumptions about what it's like to be human， which can avoid or exclude exceptions to the rule。 C。G。 Jung appears more nuanced on this perspective than others who use or interpret his ideas and labels。Anyway， this is a superb book。 If you deal with people in any way， particularly in a professional capacity it's essential reading; and if you want an idea about what science might actually be then it's more than worth a read。 Something for a quiet afternoon or evening。 。。。more
Karen
，
This book provides a fascinating insight into the mind of the author， a scientist on the autism spectrum， who also has ADHD。 By adopting a scientific approach to work out how to live and function better as a human， she explains how she manages to navigate her way in a world which， when she was a child， seemed completely alien to her。 She applies wave theory to finding harmony in relationships， quantum physics to achieving goals and chemical bonding to human connection， to name a few examples。 Pa This book provides a fascinating insight into the mind of the author， a scientist on the autism spectrum， who also has ADHD。 By adopting a scientific approach to work out how to live and function better as a human， she explains how she manages to navigate her way in a world which， when she was a child， seemed completely alien to her。 She applies wave theory to finding harmony in relationships， quantum physics to achieving goals and chemical bonding to human connection， to name a few examples。 Part memoir， part popular science， part handbook for those with autism， it gives a unique perspective on being human。 。。。more
Mark Glaeser
，
Disclaimer: I “read” this via audiobook。This book gives a good insight into what it’s like to go through life with autism and how autistic people may have difficulty fitting in or understanding neuro-typical humans。 The book is extremely scientific and may be difficult to follow along with if you don’t have some scientific background。 A lot of people have given this book a bad review because they seem upset that it can’t fully explain all humans or the material isn’t relatable to them。 No book w Disclaimer: I “read” this via audiobook。This book gives a good insight into what it’s like to go through life with autism and how autistic people may have difficulty fitting in or understanding neuro-typical humans。 The book is extremely scientific and may be difficult to follow along with if you don’t have some scientific background。 A lot of people have given this book a bad review because they seem upset that it can’t fully explain all humans or the material isn’t relatable to them。 No book will ever explain every human being because that’s obviously impossible。 This book provides a unique and informative insight on how a specific add it through life with their challenges due to their multiple diagnosis。 Lastly， if you have a PHD， your title is doctor。 So even though she doesn’t practice medicine， she is entitled to refer to herself as a doctor。。。 I don’t know why that’s a point of contention。 。。。more
Heidi Gardner
，
I really enjoyed this book！ I read it as part of a book club and the discussion was brilliant。 I couldn't read more than one chapter in a sitting， which I think was due to the writing style and detail within each section。 It felt like peering into the mind of the author who is neurodivergent， and as I'm neurotypical I found that a bit difficult to get my head around to begin with。 I loved that about it - it made me more understanding and more empathetic。 I have a science background and parts of I really enjoyed this book！ I read it as part of a book club and the discussion was brilliant。 I couldn't read more than one chapter in a sitting， which I think was due to the writing style and detail within each section。 It felt like peering into the mind of the author who is neurodivergent， and as I'm neurotypical I found that a bit difficult to get my head around to begin with。 I loved that about it - it made me more understanding and more empathetic。 I have a science background and parts of the book helped to dig up scientific concepts that aren't in my immediate field of study。 I'd be interested to hear what people with a non-science background think about the analogies and links between science and humanity， I'm not sure it'd hit the same way with a non-science audience。 A great example of science communication done creatively， I've never read anything like this before， and I'm hoping that Dr Camilla Pang writes more books about her experiences。 。。。more
Nicholas Whyte
，
https://nwhyte。livejournal。com/3573687。htmlA short book by a biochemist who proudly flies the flag of her own autism diagnosis， explaining how people work from her point of view。 From her point of view seems to mean mainly comparing human interactions to phenomena in biochemistry， which may be insightful for people who know more than I do about biochemistry， but since I don't， it was a matter of explaining something I already more or less understand - human behaviour - in terms of something I do https://nwhyte。livejournal。com/3573687。htmlA short book by a biochemist who proudly flies the flag of her own autism diagnosis， explaining how people work from her point of view。 From her point of view seems to mean mainly comparing human interactions to phenomena in biochemistry， which may be insightful for people who know more than I do about biochemistry， but since I don't， it was a matter of explaining something I already more or less understand - human behaviour - in terms of something I don't。 The book won a prize but it didn't work for me。 。。。more
Kat Adams
，
This was interesting。 I really liked the concept and enjoyed it at the start， it was charming and insightful。 However， i found it to be a bit samey and so ended up being a bit bored of it nearer the end which was annoying because i really loved the concept and found myself relating to it more than i thought i would and so didn’t want to be bored of it。 I think this would be a really good book to read if you have had limited exposure to anyone is not neurotypical; so if adhd， autism， aspergers， o This was interesting。 I really liked the concept and enjoyed it at the start， it was charming and insightful。 However， i found it to be a bit samey and so ended up being a bit bored of it nearer the end which was annoying because i really loved the concept and found myself relating to it more than i thought i would and so didn’t want to be bored of it。 I think this would be a really good book to read if you have had limited exposure to anyone is not neurotypical; so if adhd， autism， aspergers， ocd， etc。， are very foreign concepts to you or if you would just want a greater insight into them then i think this book is super useful for that。 It gives such an interesting insight into camilla’s way of thinking and i liked reading a personal experience that somewhat resonated。I do think though， that the cover is sliiiightly misleading saying ‘what science can teach us。。。。’ because it seems [to me anyway] that the analogies she uses and the similarities she draws as coping strategies and ways of explaining her thoughts/experiences/anxieties， are more so ways to help her make sense of her own personal world and are therefore comforting to her， more than they would be helpful for others/ generalisable。 I think anecdotal stories and documentation of how individuals cope with their neurodiversity are still very valuable i just think that readers should go into this book knowing that that is what they’re getting 。。。more
DiscoSpacePanther
，
I don’t know how a PhD in biochemistry gives Dr Pang the credentials to dispense psychiatric advice， nor how advice along the lines of “become a prism to refract your fears and anxieties so you can understand and cope with them” is anything more than a deepity cloaked in pseudoscientific babble。 It might be useful to some people， but it doesn’t sound like the rigorous and empirically evidenced advice that I would expect scientific medicine to produce。This book does nothing to dispel my suspicion I don’t know how a PhD in biochemistry gives Dr Pang the credentials to dispense psychiatric advice， nor how advice along the lines of “become a prism to refract your fears and anxieties so you can understand and cope with them” is anything more than a deepity cloaked in pseudoscientific babble。 It might be useful to some people， but it doesn’t sound like the rigorous and empirically evidenced advice that I would expect scientific medicine to produce。This book does nothing to dispel my suspicion of authors who broadcast the fact they have a PhD on the cover。 I am not particularly entertained by someone listing in great detail all of their trivial neuroses， and then using incredibly forced analogies to tell me why I shouldn’t let myself suffer from those same neuroses。 The author seems to be trying to sell a cure for a specific and idiosyncratic malady that only really afflicts her。I can sympathise and empathise with her over her conditions， but the anecdotes and advice she posits provide little insight into the adult problems that have affected me。 Thinking of people as analagous to chemicals in a reaction does neither people nor chemicals worthwhile service。If you are neurodiverse， maybe Dr Pang’s advice will help you， maybe not。 I get the impression that her methods of managing her anxieties are specific to herself， and not really generalisable to anyone else。 If you want to learn about science， read a dedicated science book。 If you want to learn about autism spectrum disorders， you would do better to read a specialist neuroscience or psychology source。 If you want to read some lightly entertaining neurodivergent anecdotes tenuously linked to unproven self-help advice via irrelevant pop-science chatter and metaphors tortured to the point of breaking and well beyond: this is the book for you。I decided to DNF at the halfway point where Dr Pang starts talking about mood as an oscillation between euphoria and despair （fair， but exaggerated）， introduces the concept of constructive and destructive interference， then states that people “who destructively interfere are those who sap your energy and joy， neutralizing it on impact with their negativity”。 Well， sorry to be negative Dr Pang， but you’ve just totally misapplied your own metaphor。 Destructive interference reduces the amplitude of an oscillation， so by your metaphor， destructive interference would reduce both euphoria and despair， and thus someone whose moods are in a destructive interference pattern with your own would not necessarily have a negative influence on you。 This kind of inconsistency in the application of your metaphors renders them either mundane or worthless—and this book skirts the hinterlands of woo woo in a way that turns me off completely。 For a book written by someone whose career is in an intellectually rigorous discipline， it lacks both rigour and discipline。 This book has nothing to contribute to the explanation of human behaviour。 。。。more
Sally
，
I’m not actually finished yet but this book wasn’t what I expected and was a bit of a disappointment。。。I respect the author and can imagine this would feel very special and personal to her， but for me it’s been really difficult to read: I find myself rolling my eyes at some of the metaphors and clichés and I just don’t think it’s a particularly well written book。。。maybe it’s just not my thing but I had expected to learn something and be really hooked。。。I will finish it （！） but it’s taken me mont I’m not actually finished yet but this book wasn’t what I expected and was a bit of a disappointment。。。I respect the author and can imagine this would feel very special and personal to her， but for me it’s been really difficult to read: I find myself rolling my eyes at some of the metaphors and clichés and I just don’t think it’s a particularly well written book。。。maybe it’s just not my thing but I had expected to learn something and be really hooked。。。I will finish it （！） but it’s taken me months to make it this far。。。sorry！ 。。。more
Kerri
，
I may have felt like I landed on the wrong planet， but that doesn't mean I want to live as an alien among natives。 You would be forgiven for thinking this is just a book about autism by a scientist， and whilst that's not completely wrong it's so much more than that。 It's an autistic perspective of humanity with a charming and refreshing format。 I came across this book when watching the Royal Society's Popular Science Award， of which 'Explaining Humans' was a well deserved winner。 Dr Camilla Pan I may have felt like I landed on the wrong planet， but that doesn't mean I want to live as an alien among natives。 You would be forgiven for thinking this is just a book about autism by a scientist， and whilst that's not completely wrong it's so much more than that。 It's an autistic perspective of humanity with a charming and refreshing format。 I came across this book when watching the Royal Society's Popular Science Award， of which 'Explaining Humans' was a well deserved winner。 Dr Camilla Pang identifies as an 'aspie' and regularly wished she had a guide to understanding other humans。 Using her expertise within medical sciences， she applies human behaviour to the theories she more readily associates with。 A unique combination of hilarious and heartbreaking， I was enthralled from the outset at Pang's way of viewing the world。She breaks so many stereotypes of autism just by being a woman and having a PhD， but Camilla Pang continues to smash through any remaining stigma with her erudite guide to humans enticing us all to understand ourselves a little better。 。。。more
Mateus
，
Explaining Humans is not the book I thought it was。 It's not the book many people thought it would be based on a cursory read of Goodreads reviews。 And at times it's a bit convulted in the writing， making it a struggle to read。 It is however， a better book than I expected precisely for those reasons。My full review can be read at https://twoinateacup。wordpress。com/20。。。 Explaining Humans is not the book I thought it was。 It's not the book many people thought it would be based on a cursory read of Goodreads reviews。 And at times it's a bit convulted in the writing， making it a struggle to read。 It is however， a better book than I expected precisely for those reasons。My full review can be read at https://twoinateacup。wordpress。com/20。。。 。。。more
Lara Green
，
This book provided me with an excellent insight into the world of a neuro diverse person。 The author identifies as asd， adhd and gad， and from these perspectives shares her experiences of life。 I apreciated the style which shared a mix of humerous and perseptive anicdotes on social interactions This book is great for all those who never knew they were looking for analogies of relationships and life drawn from proteons， prisoms and chemical fonds。 Inherantly quotable， for science lovors the memoi This book provided me with an excellent insight into the world of a neuro diverse person。 The author identifies as asd， adhd and gad， and from these perspectives shares her experiences of life。 I apreciated the style which shared a mix of humerous and perseptive anicdotes on social interactions This book is great for all those who never knew they were looking for analogies of relationships and life drawn from proteons， prisoms and chemical fonds。 Inherantly quotable， for science lovors the memoire aspects are likelyable to most bemifit from the story whife for others it shines a light on scientific principles。 I found that while well explained the nunber of science principles was a bit taxing 。。。more
Kiran
，
My favourite quote of the book “Sometimes breaking such ties is less an act of selfishness then one of self preservation”。 Thoroughly enjoyed the book， definitely a must read！
Suzanne
，
Super interesting， but not quite what I expected。 The book is filled with theories where a scientific principle is compared with how people act。 I had however thought this would be more of an actual instruction manual。 This was more 'why' than 'how' （though I am excited to try and re-engineer my feedback loop）， and I learned more about science than I did about people。 Even though this was not a quick read for me， I liked it， and I liked getting to know the writer a bit。 And just look at that gor Super interesting， but not quite what I expected。 The book is filled with theories where a scientific principle is compared with how people act。 I had however thought this would be more of an actual instruction manual。 This was more 'why' than 'how' （though I am excited to try and re-engineer my feedback loop）， and I learned more about science than I did about people。 Even though this was not a quick read for me， I liked it， and I liked getting to know the writer a bit。 And just look at that gorgeous cover。。。3-4 stars。 。。。more
Anomilie
，
I think this book is best recommended to someone who regularly reads popular science books who wants something easy to read。 The language is very accessible and at times humorous。 The author does an acceptable job of explaining complicated scientific concepts from biochemistry and physics to machine learning for the purpose of providing insight into the human condition。 However the "life， love and relationship" part of the equation doesn't have a lot of depth。 I found it a bit waffly at times， t I think this book is best recommended to someone who regularly reads popular science books who wants something easy to read。 The language is very accessible and at times humorous。 The author does an acceptable job of explaining complicated scientific concepts from biochemistry and physics to machine learning for the purpose of providing insight into the human condition。 However the "life， love and relationship" part of the equation doesn't have a lot of depth。 I found it a bit waffly at times， the personal examples repetitive and the concepts already familiar to me so it didn't provide any novel insight into my own human condition。 On the other hand， the author is very focused on the labels of her diagnosis and didn't provide more than a very basic explanation of the manifestation of how she is neurodivergent， therefore not giving me much insight into her own specific human condition。 The book falls short living up the its title， I was hoping for a lot more depth。 However it lives up to to the main premise of establishing links between natural/computer science concepts and social science ideas。 。。。more
Suad D
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This book was my companion on my solo walks in its audio version。 I have watched a talk for the author and loved her energy and how she used her passion for science to explain the daily life struggles。 Camilla was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD making her life challenging but she managed to find her rhythm。 Her tips on how to deal with new situations or anxiety or planning your day can be very useful for anyone。 I found her book very interesting and full of applicable advices to my own daily lif This book was my companion on my solo walks in its audio version。 I have watched a talk for the author and loved her energy and how she used her passion for science to explain the daily life struggles。 Camilla was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD making her life challenging but she managed to find her rhythm。 Her tips on how to deal with new situations or anxiety or planning your day can be very useful for anyone。 I found her book very interesting and full of applicable advices to my own daily life。 It also helped me understand many scientific concepts in a very simple way。"Never apologize for who you are。" 。。。more
Rachael
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As someone with ASC I love that this exists。 But as someone not super scientifically minded it just didn’t work for me。 Half of the time I was using what I’d learnt myself about people and relationships to work out the connection to the science which wasn’t really the point of the book。 I was expecting scientific explanations of behaviours not what it is which is seemingly random scientific theories that the author uses to relate to society and people。 It is a really interesting idea that I thin As someone with ASC I love that this exists。 But as someone not super scientifically minded it just didn’t work for me。 Half of the time I was using what I’d learnt myself about people and relationships to work out the connection to the science which wasn’t really the point of the book。 I was expecting scientific explanations of behaviours not what it is which is seemingly random scientific theories that the author uses to relate to society and people。 It is a really interesting idea that I think will really work for some people on the spectrum。 For that alone I think this book is amazing， written for people that need it and can use it by a person that understands and shares some of their struggles。 I did get some things from this book but more than anything I’m always just happy to see a fellow aspie just doing great things。 。。。more
CinnamonWolf
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