Can a soccer game affect the outcome of the election? What about shark attacks? Or a drought? Within a logical world the reply, of course, will be no. But mainly because bestselling historian Rick Shenkman shows in Political Pets, our world is anything but rational. This isn’t because we aren’t intelligent. Instead, modern cues are setting off ancient, instinctive responses that worked to keep us secure in the Stone Age but business lead us astray today.

Pop culture tells us we are able to trust our instincts. But science is demonstrating that whenever it comes to politics, our Rock Age group brains can malfunction and misfire. Fortunately, we can learn to override our instincts and make sure that they function in our favour. Drawing on science, politics, and history, Shenkman explores the hidden reasons behind our political options and uncovers the invisible makes that are really responsible for triumph or defeat on the ballot box.