The Murderer Next Door, David M. Buss
The Murderer Next Door, David M. Buss
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The Murderer Next Door
Why the Mind Is Designed to Kill

Author: David M. Buss

Narrator: Michael Prichard

Unabridged: 10 hr 41 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 07/01/2005


Synopsis

As acclaimed psychological researcher and author David Buss writes, "People are mesmerized by murder. It commands our attention like no other human phenomenon, and those touched by its ugly tendrils never forget." Though we may like to believe that murderers are pathological misfits and hardened criminals, the vast majority of murders are committed by people who, until the day they kill, would seem to be perfectly normal.

David Buss's pioneering work has made major national news in the past, and this provocative book is sure to generate a storm of attention. The Murderer Next Door is a riveting look into the dark underworld of the human psyche- an astonishing exploration of when and why we kill and what might push any one of us over the edge. A leader in the innovative field of evolutionary psychology, Buss conducted an unprecedented set of studies investigating the underlying motives and circumstances of murders, from the bizarre outlier cases of serial killers to those of the friendly next-door neighbor who one day kills his wife.

Reporting on findings that are often startling and counterintuitive-the younger woman involved in a love triangle is at a high risk of being killed-he puts forth a bold new general theory of homicide, arguing that the human psyche has evolved specialized adaptations whose function is to kill. Taking readers through the surprising twists and turns of the evolutionary logic of murder, he explains exactly when each of us is most at risk, both of being murdered and of becoming a murderer. His findings about the high-risk situations alone will be news making.

Featuring gripping storytelling about specific murder cases-including a never used FBI file of more than 400,000 murders and a highly detailed study of 400 murders conducted by Buss in collaboration with a forensic psychiatrist, and a pioneering investigation of homicidal fantasies in which Buss found that 91 percent of men and 84 percent of women have had at least one such vivid fantasy-The Murderer Next Door will be necessary reading for those who have been fascinated by books on profiling, lovers of true crime and murder mysteries, as well as readers intrigued by the inner workings of the human mind.

Based on a wealth of groundbreaking research, a leading psychologist's fascinating investigation of why we are all "wired to kill"

About David M. Buss

David M. Buss, one of the founders of the field of evolutionary psychology, is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches courses in evolutionary psychology and the psychology of human mating. He is the author of several books, including The Evolution of Desire, Evolutionary Psychology, and The Dangerous Passion. His and Cindy M. Meston's article "Why Humans Have Sex" garnered international attention when it was published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Maggie on October 01, 2017

Evolutionary Psychology is controversial and the author, David Buss, has certainly contributed his fair share in entrenching that controversy with his ability to justify every reprehensible action by men with "evolution." There is nothing about sexism, misogyny, or male perpetrated violence he can't......more

Goodreads review by Daisy on March 22, 2025

Who doesn’t like to read about murder and murderers? While this book couldn’t be described as academic it is written from by a psychologist and cites numerous studies and statistics to back up its claims. I say claims in the plural but strictly speaking there is just one trunk of a theory that every......more

Goodreads review by Corey on November 23, 2009

Are humans pre-programmed to kill? Is there a potential murderer inside each of us? Evolutionary psychologist, David Buss argues that we are all killers deep inside, and he presents chilling evidence on the high percentages of people who have either fantasized about murder or would be willing to kil......more

Goodreads review by Brett on December 26, 2022

Even though killing someone, or homicide, is perhaps the most perplexing, and yet pervasive, human acts globally, the body of research around why humans perpetrate violence, and resulting theories, seem woefully inadequate. On one hand, the reasoning is readily apparent: violence is complex, and the......more

Goodreads review by Roma on August 31, 2018

TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR MY REVIEW-discusses rape and abuse. I am so disappointed in this book! The premises cool, but I think it was poorly executed and maybe it’s just that I don’t like evolutionary psychology. The high points where the examples and anecdotes, however the methodology of using those ane......more