Why are clocks in Germany so accurate while those in Brazil are frequently wrong? Why are red and blue states really so divided? And in what country (surprisingly) do women have the highest number of sexual partners? Drawing on two decades of research in more than 50 countries, Michele Gelfand found a common answer to these and many other questions of group behavior. Across all age groups, family variations, social classes, and nationalities, Gelfand identified a primal pattern that can trigger cooperation or conflict, and here she explains how our behavior is highly influenced by the perception of threat.

"An engaging writer with intellectual range. She sparkles most when diving into evolutionary anthropology to make sense of long-term patterns.... This is interesting stuff."—NYTBR