New York Times bestselling author of Endure Alex Hutchinson returns with a fresh invigorating
investigation into how exploration uncertainty and risk-taking shape our behavior and
wellbeing. For fans of On Trails and Range alike The Explorer's Gene makes the case not just
that humans are wired to seek the unknown but that thriving in the modern world depends on
pushing our mental and physical boundaries to new places. Off the beaten path on unmarked
trails we are wired to explore. More than just a need to get outside the search for the
unknown is a specific primal urge that has shaped the history of our species and continues to
mold our behavior in ways we are just beginning to understand. In fact the latest neuroscience
suggests that exploration is an essential ingredient of human life. Exploration it turns out
isn't merely a hobby--it's our story. In this long-awaited follow-up to his New York Times
bestseller Endure Alex Hutchinson dives headfirst into a fascinating and provocative new
field of research examining how exploration is a fundamental part of what makes us human and
revealing how even in our fully mapped modern world the pursuit of the unknown remains an
indispensable mindset in all walks of life. And yet it has never been easier to live an
exploration-free life without the struggle and uncertainty that true exploration--of places
experiences and ideas--requires. With the digital world designed to exploit the neural
circuitry behind our drive to explore we receive the illusion of novelty without accompanying
growth. This despite mounting evidence that our lives are better--more productive more
satisfying and more fun--when we ditch the maps on our phones and find our own way. From
paddling the lost rivers of the northern Canadian wilderness to the ocean-spanning voyages of
the Polynesians The Explorer's Gene combines riveting stories of exploration with cutting-edge
insights from behavioral psychology and neuroscience. The end result offers a singular approach
to finding meaning in our past struggles embracing the possibility of failure in our future
and crucially recognizing when our present is good enough.
