People Will Talk: The Surprising Science of Reputation

A recommendation lands you a great job. A potential date accepts after hearing you're not a player. New customers try your business after reading positive reviews. Perhaps nothing contributes more to your success in life than what other people say about you, yet most people don't understand how reputation works. Now science writer John Whitfield synthesizes decades of work in biology, psychology, economics, and anthropology to explain the significance of reputation and the role it plays in everything from our fascination with gossip to why states go to war and gang members indulge in seemingly senseless violence.

• Uses the science of reputation to answer questions ranging from "Why do our eyes have whites?" (so that other people know where we're looking) to "Why do young men share files online, even though it's risky and illegal?" (Because it's risky and illegal)
• Explains the secret to getting a good reputation and explains why we work so hard to protect something that does not really belong to us, but to those who know us or of us
• Examines why reputation is so important in human lives, including its role in determining trustworthiness and exercising control

Read People Will Talk and the next time you think your reputation is on the line, you'll understand why it matters—and what you can do about it.

Keywords: Social Identity, reputation, personal reputation, defending reputation, human psychology, psychology, human behavior, personal behavior, morals, morality, human morality, integrity, personal integrity, respect, honor, what people think, gossip, science of gossip, human evolution, human biology, anthropology, social evolution, society, business reputation, professional reputation, reputation building, defending your reputation