Who are you? It’s the most fundamental of human questions. Are you the type of person who tilts at windmills, or the one who prefers to view them from the comfort of an air-conditioned motorcoach? Our personalities are endlessly fascinating—not just to ourselves but also to our spouses, our parents, our children, our co-workers, our neighbors. As a highly social species, humans have to navigate among an astonishing variety of personalities. But how did all these different permutations come about? And what purpose do they serve? With her trademark wit and sly humor, Hannah Holmes takes readers into the amazing world of personality and modern brain science. Using the Five Factor Model, which slices temperaments into the major factors (Extraversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness) and minor facets (such as impulsive, artistic, or cautious), Holmes demonstrates how our genes and brains dictate which factors and facets each of us displays. Are you a Nervous Nelly? Your amygdala is probably calling the shots. Hyperactive Hal? It’s all about the dopamine. Each facet took root deep in the evolution of life on Earth, with Nature allowing enough personal variation to see a species through good times and bad. Just as there are introverted and extroverted people, there are introverted and extroverted mice, and even starfish. In fact, the personality genes we share with mice make them invaluable models for the study of disorders like depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety. Thus it is deep and ancient biases that guide your dealings with a very modern world. Your personality helps to determine the political party you support, the car you drive, the way you eat M&Ms, and the likelihood that you’ll cheat on your spouse. Drawing on data from top research laboratories, the lives of her eccentric friends, the conflicts that plague her own household, and even the habits of her two pet mice, Hannah Holmes summarizes the factors that shape you. And what she proves is that it does take all kinds. Even the most irksome and trying personality you’ve ever encountered contributes to the diversity of our species. And diversity is the key to our survival.

You've Got Quirks tells the true stories of people who were "different" as children. Other kids and some adults didn't understand them and teased them.

Katarina the fairy spies young Evelyn crying. Evelyn is sad she's not good at anything. Join Katarina as she guides Evelyn to discover her talents using her magic fairy dust.

Kids may say the darndest things, but adults do them. Outrageous, outlandish and downright ridiculous eccentricities exhibited (and confessed to) by otherwise normal people. From hilarious bathroom behavior to funny money and unconventional clothing habits to eating and sleeping peculiarities to germ-a-phobia and more. Collected from real, live, actual human beings!

What if who you are right now is exactly who God meant you to be? What if the weirdest, most annoying things about you are actually—for a purpose? Often we lament about how we relate to God and to the world. We over-think things, worry too much, put things off, argue too much, talk too much, or any number of other griefs. We fight who we are and beg God to make us different. But what if our greatest strength, biggest gift, and most potential is hidden in the very thing we seek to hide from the rest of the world: our weirdness? In Why Your Weirdness Is Wonderful, author and certified life coach Laurie Wallin reveals strategies for anyone struggling to find a calling or to find and live their dream. It teaches us to stop fighting ourselves and start following God, not just in spite of, but by embracing our “weirdness.

We all have an amusing relationship with dirt. Some of us have just thought about it more than others. How we feel about keeping house speaks volumes about who we are, our roots, relationships, and even our outlook on life. Everyone can relate to DIRT.

A series of whimsical essays by the New York Times "Social Q's" columnist provides modern advice on navigating today's murky moral waters, sharing recommendations for such everyday situations as texting on the bus to splitting a dinner check.