Hands

Human history, modern life and our psychology - all told through the story of how we use our handsThroughout history, civilisations have been defined by the work of human hands- inventing tools, writing records, operating machinery, typing, texting, swiping. But beneath this known history is another, secret story- our hands are not the obedient servants that they seem to be. Through conscious and unconscious gesture, they reveal our deepest psychology, our weaknesses and obsessions, our personal history and our social conditioning.The key to understanding everything around you - and everything within you - is staring you in the face. Using fascinating anecdotes and brilliant psychoanalytic research, from da Vinci to Dickens to Die Hard, Darian Leader reveals that there's much more to your hands than meets the eye.

“Publisher's description. Why do we play with our fingers when nervous? Why do zombies walk with their hands out? What connects prayer beads with iPhones? Journey down the psychoanalytic rabbit hole to discover the strange and fascinating secrets of what our hands really say about us...”

Publisher's description. Why do we play with our fingers when nervous? Why do zombies walk with their hands out? What connects prayer beads with iPhones? Journey down the psychoanalytic rabbit hole to discover the strange and fascinating secrets of what our hands really say about us... Penguin
A breezy cultural history of fidgeting Times Literary Supplement
Leader is a psychoanalyst with a sideline in smart, elegant books that explain ourselves to ourselves without using the jargon of clinical literature Guardian
An intriguing meditation on how vital our hands are to our understanding of ourselves and our world The Times

Darian Leader is a psychoanalyst and the author of many books, including The New Black, What Is Madness? and Is It Ever Just Sex?. He practises psychoanalysis in London, and he is a founding member of the Centre for Freudian Analysis and Research and a member of the College of Psychoanalysts UK.

What do our hands say about us? Our hands are always busy: stroking, pressing, prodding, swiping, tapping, fidgeting, gripping, scratching and rubbing. Even when at rest they refuse to be still. Though they are our most important tool for manipulating the world about us - you're using one or both of them to hold this book - they also send out subtle messages about who and what we really are. Here, psychoanalyst Darian Leader examines the importance of our hands through a variety of examples from Hollywood movies to the Renaissance obsession with fans, from our craving for cigarettes to our addiction to smart phones. In so doing he uncovers the truth behind the ways we touch the world. 'Clever, beguiling and confident' Sunday Times, Books of the Year 'A breezy and diverting cultural history of fidgeting' The Times Literary Supplement 'An intriguing meditation on how vital our hands are to our understanding of ourselves and our world' Sunday Times 'Eloquent, thought-provoking... Leader conveys complex ideas with a light touch and sharp wit' New Statesman

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