Man is often said to be a social animal - but what does that mean? Michael Argyle believed that one of the most important components - our capacity to cooperate - had been overlooked and indeed that the whole notion of cooperation had not been properly understood.

Originally published in 1991 the author was critical of earlier approaches, he put forward a new and extended understanding of what cooperation consists of, showing the form it took in different relationships and its origins in evolution and socialisation. He offered new solutions to intergroup and other social problems and took a new look at language and communication as a cooperative enterprise.