Human behavioral ecology (HBE) applies the principles of evolutionary theory and optimisation to the study of human behavioural and cultural diversity. Among other things, HBE attempts to explain variation in behaviour as adaptive solutions to the competing life-history demands of growth, development, reproduction, parental care, and mate acquisition. This book is a comprehensive introduction to the theoretical orientation and specific findings of HBE. It consolidates the insights of evolution and human behaviour into a single volume that reflects the current state and future of the field. It brings together leading scholars from across the evolutionary social sciences to provide a comprehensive and thought-provoking review of the state of the topic. Throughout, the authors explain the latest developments in theory and highlight critical debates in the literature, while also engaging readers with ethnographic insights and field-based studies that remain at the core of human behavioral ecology.

‘This is a fantastic book and the best yet on HBE. The authors are standard bearers and the new leaders in the field.’

Keith Prufer - University of New Mexico, Main Campus

‘A blend of epistemological humility and an omnivorous taste for the best tools from any field one encounters distinguishes both the field and this excellent edited volume. Each of the 17 chapters is a rich examination of an aspect of behavior, probed with a variety of methods and tools, extracting sense from the noise, uncertainty, and compelling variety that inheres to human behavior, but without pushing for trite simplicity. For me, this book offers recipes one might wish to try in approaching new questions, new environments, or new populations.’

Robert C. Brooks Source: The Quarterly Review of Biology