The Human Jungle: An Intriguing Look at How We Have Adapted to Cope

Stanton P. Newman, Ebury Publishing. A look at the hidden patterns of behaviour which underpin our daily life, based on research in environmental psychology and urban anthropology. Topics discussed are the concept of personal space and how it operates in crowded areassuch as trains, lifts, supermarkets and motorways; the process of sifting, selecting and prioritising the mass of information which is all around us; communicating with others and the implications of electronic communication; coping with technology; how we "manage" the fear and anxiety implicit in skyscrapers, lifts, driving, the underground and how the constant struggle between our individual desire to express ourselves and our collective need for conformity are reconciled in air, travel, hotels and shopping malls.