Robert Provine boldly goes where other scientists seldom tread—in search of hiccups, coughs, yawns, sneezes, and other lowly, undignified human behaviors. Upon investigation, these instinctive acts bear the imprint of our evolutionary origins and can be uniquely valuable tools for understanding how the human brain works and what makes us different from other species.
Many activities showcased in Curious Behavior are contagious, but none surpasses yawning in this regard—just reading the word can make one succumb. Though we often take it as a sign of sleepiness or boredom, yawning holds clues to the development of our sociality and ability to empathize with others. Its inescapable transmission reminds us that we are sometimes unaware, neurologically programmed beasts of the herd. Other neglected behaviors yield similar revelations. Tickling, we learn, may be the key to programming personhood into robots. Coughing comes in musical, medical, and social varieties. Farting and belching have import for the evolution of human speech. And prenatal behavior is offered as the strangest exhibit of all, defying postnatal logic in every way. Our earthiest acts define Homo sapiens as much as language, bipedalism, tool use, and other more studied characteristics.
As Provine guides us through peculiarities right under our noses, he beckons us to follow with self-experiments: tickling our own feet, keeping a log of when we laugh, and attempting to suppress yawns and sneezes. Such humble investigations provide fodder for grade school science projects as well as doctoral dissertations. Small Science can yield big rewards.
Fun Read, Good Lessons I’m a big fan of this book. Provine did a lot of the research being described, and has worked with some of the greatest minds in the neurosciences (Levi-Montalcini and Viktor Hamburger). At the same time, the book promotes “small science” that can be done without huge grants or complicated equipment. It is also amazing that no one had taken the time (or had the creativity) to look at such basic human behaviors with the eye of a scientist. I think there are a lot of lessons here about good basic science and good science writing.
A Strange but fun read on Evolutionary Behavior As the author states he may be discussing some things in the smaller venues of science, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t interesting. The book is a microcosm of everyday things we take for granted and for which minimal hard research has been done over the years, which is in many cases what peaked the author’s interest in the various things he reports on.I found the first chapter on yawning to be the most interesting in the book. We learn such things as:1. Yawning holds clues as to the development of our sociability and ability to empathize with others2. “[T]he contagiousness of yawns is so potent that simply discussing yawns triggers yawns.” I found that to be true in reading this particular chapter.3. We are informed that turtles, snakes, birds, and even fish yawn4. Typical falsehoods regarding yawns are – a) it is caused by tiredness b) it is caused by too high a level of CO2 in the bloodI won’t spoil it for you as to what causes yawns, so you’ll need to read the book to find out.The chapter on laughter was simply fascinating, especially when I found out the women laugh more than men and that they truly like men who can make them laugh. Yep, according to the professor, that part of the dating game is the truth.As for crying we find out that:1. A crying baby increases breast temperature and prolactin levels in lactating females2. Crying in babies increases from birth to about six weeks and then decreases in intensity and duration to about four months at which level it stays until the baby is about a year old.Regarding the chapter on tears [p80-81], we are informed that elephants, chimps, and newborn humans cannot cry emotional tears. You’ll need to read to find out the purpose behind them.One fascinating thing told in the chapter on hiccups [p130] was of the Iowa farmer named Charles Osborne who began hiccuping in 1922 and didn’t stop until 1990. Obviously he was in the Guinness book of World Records for his feat, but he didn’t let such a thing as hiccuping slow him down as he was married twice, ran several businesses and had eight kids.
BTW he died at 98 from complications of ulcers.Yet the most humorous chapter in the book was the next to last in which the author gave a rather thorough discussion of flatulence and burping. It seems that a Frenchman by the name of Joseph Pujols [1857-1945] who was nicknamed Le Petomane [you'll love the English translation of that] was the headliner at the Moulin Rouge from 1892-1914 and the highest paid entertainer in the world, beating out the second highest Sarah Bernhardt. Without discussing his other wonderments, it was stated he could give a loud and emphatic rendition of the Marseille using flatulence only. Also the only animals that communicate using flatulence are herrings. You can’t make this stuff up, it is simply too weird to be false. Let me just say that you’ll think this chapter is a REAL GAS.None of the science behind this stuff will win you a Nobel Prize, but it is a lot of fun to read about it.