A Very Human Ending: How suicide haunts our species

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We are the only species on the face of the planet that deliberately ends its own life. More often than not, it is negative social evaluations - real or imagined - that drive us to it. But what is it about the human brain that means that we may not only entertain suicidal thoughts but, in some cases, actually act upon them?
Combining cutting-edge scientific research with investigative journalism, psychologist Jesse Bering takes a long hard look at the human fascination with self-slaughter. From the sprawling woods of Aokigahara, better known as the Japanese 'suicide forest' that lies in the shadow of Mount Fuji, to a parasitology lab in New Zealand where researchers are studying how invisible organisms hijack the brains of their rodent hosts and steer them in the path of hungry cats, we go on a sobering search for the scientific bases of suicide.
In dealing with a volatile subject that simultaneously attracts and repulses, This Fatal Game is guaranteed to jump-start a new conversation about a perennial problem that knows no cultural or demographic boundaries.We are the only species on the face of the planet that deliberately ends its own life. More often than not, it is negative social evaluations - real or imagined - that drive us to it. But what is it about the human brain that means that we may not only entertain suicidal thoughts but, in some cases, actually act upon them?
Combining cutting-edge scientific research with investigative journalism, psychologist Jesse Bering takes a long hard look at the human fascination with self-slaughter. From the sprawling woods of Aokigahara, better known as the Japanese 'suicide forest' that lies in the shadow of Mount Fuji, to a parasitology lab in New Zealand where researchers are studying how invisible organisms hijack the brains of their rodent hosts and steer them in the path of hungry cats, we go on a sobering search for the scientific bases of suicide.
In dealing with a volatile subject that simultaneously attracts and repulses, This Fatal Game is guaranteed to jump-start a new conversation about a perennial problem that knows no cultural or demographic boundaries.
Jesse Bering is an award-winning science writer specializing in evolutionary psychology and human behavior. His 'Bering in Mind' column at Scientific American was named a 2010 Webby Award Honoree by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. His previous books are, The Belief Instinct whichwas included in the American Library Association's Top 25 Books of the Year.This was followed by a collection of his previously published essays, Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That? and Perv , a taboo-shattering work igniting discussion and fierce debates, named as a New YorkTimes Editor's Choice.
A developmental psychologist by training, Bering is a renowned expert in the field ofcognitive science and religion, He began his career at the University of Arkansas, as an Assistant Professor of Psychology from 2002 to 2006. He then served as the Director of the Institute of Cognition and Culture at the Queen's University, Belfast until 2011. Presently, he is an Associate Professor of Science Communication at the University of Otago, New Zealand.