Humanish: What Talking to Your Cat or Naming Your Car Reveals About the Uniquely Human Need to Humanize

by Justin Gregg

Anthropomorphism is the human tendency to attribute human-like thoughts, feelings, and intentions to non-human things. It’s a cognitive bias baked into the human mind that distorts our view of the world. But it doesn’t just affect our understanding of animals. Anthropomorphism impacts our relationship to all living things, as well as inanimate objects (like AI), and natural phenomena (like hurricanes). It’s perhaps one of the most powerful cognitive biases influencing our thoughts, but it’s rarely talked about. It’s time to change that.

In this groundbreaking book, bestselling science writer Justin Gregg takes readers on a journey through the science behind our peculiar tendency to humanize the nonhuman. Prepare to be amazed as Gregg unveils a world filled with emotional support alligators, a woman who married her briefcase, and Soviet super babies that drink dolphin milk. With a delightful mix of scientific insight and humor, this comprehensive exploration delves into the bizarre ways we engage in anthropomorphism. Each chapter is a treasure-trove of quirky stories and fascinating research, unraveling the reasons behind our instinct to see ourselves in the creatures around us. 

Gregg explores why we treat pets like people, how anthropomorphism drives consumerism, and the inverse process, dehumanization. Readers will come away with a better understanding of the biological benefits to anthropomorhism, how our lives are enriched by it, and how to harness it to create healthier relationships. 

Humanish is a crash course in anthropomorphism and an engaging exploration of the human experience, told through a comedic lens that will resonate with anyone who has ever whispered sweet nothings to their dog or imagined their cat plotting world domination.  

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Science, Audiobook, Sociology

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 23, 2025

About the author

Justin Gregg is science writer and author of the books Twenty-Two Fantastical Facts about Dolphins and Are Dolphins Really Smart? He writes about animal behavior and cognition, with articles and blog posts appearing in The Wall Street Journal, Aeon Magazine, Scientific American, BBC Focus, Slate, Diver Magazine, and other print and online publications. Justin produced and hosted the dolphin science podcast The Dolphin Pod, and has provided voices for characters in a number of animated films. Justin regularly lectures on topics related to animal/dolphin cognition. He also blogs about science and humor/nerd/pop culture topics on his personal blog at justingregg.com

Justin received his PhD from the School of Psychology at Trinity College Dublin in Dublin Ireland in 2008 having studied dolphin social cognition. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at St. Francis Xavier University, and a Senior Research Associate with the Dolphin Communication Project. Justin has a research focus in dolphin social cognition, and a background/interest in linguistic and the evolution of language. A list of Justin’s academic publications can be found at this link.

Follow Justin on twitter: @justindgregg

Reviews

[Migdalia Jimenez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gregg explores the unexpected role anthropomorphism, or the propensity to see humanity in anything and everything, plays in a broad range of topics like artificial intelligence, racism, religion, ableism, neuroscience, our understanding of psychopathy, debates about consciousness in animals or whether chatbots can become sentient, why we find clowns so creepy and and why we’re more likely to care about the fate of a panda than a wasp.

This book is brimming with fascinating and bizarre anecdotes like, a Russian woman who had a long-term relationship with a briefcase named Gideon, and the fact that storms with female names have 3 times as many fatalities as male named storms even though the names are assigned randomly.

Although in our culture, we tend to look down on anthropomorphizing, Gregg argues that despite our cultural bias against anthropomorphism in the West,and despite some pitfalls, it is a feature not a bug for us as a species, and for us on the individual level.

Exquisitely well-researched, thought-provoking, and written in a highly accessible way this book is highly recommended for fans of mind-expanding popular science works like Ed Yong’s An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us and Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Mónica BQ · Rating 4 out of 5]

While fascinating and leading up to an important conclusion of how much anthropomorphism is taking us into dehumanizing actual humans, and how that, in turn, goes into genocide, I've now for sure concluded that I'm just not a non-fiction girl.

The book is fantastic, I just prefer to consume media that gets to the point through fictional stories.

Also, I am very guilty of naming my car and talking to my dog, and having a bit of an obsessive interest in cults and the people that escape them.

[Israa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little boring.
The topic itself is interesting, but it was so dragged out. I get it, please stop repeating the same point over and over again. It felt like the author was writing a research paper and needed to hit a word count.

Honestly, this could have been cut in half and would’ve been much more impactful (I’m exaggerating). It reads like a podcast episode… and I don’t want one episode to last 7+ hours, you know?

My favorite part was the section about cars. I always tell people that cars have faces, but not everyone understands what I mean, so it was nice to finally see someone talk about it.

Also, the discussion about how dehumanization lead to genocide felt painfully timely and very relevant.

Nevertheless, it is well written and full of interesting scientific facts, which I did appreciate, even if the delivery was overly long.

[Jill Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so interesting! I am definitely guilty of anthropomorphizing everything from the cat to Alexa, so found this peek behind the curtain to be an exceptionally intriguing one. I was familiar with the concept, but the biological and evolutionary science behind the theories was fascinating to me. I especially enjoyed the forays into AI and machine learning.

I did find some of the chapters to feel slightly repetitive, but on the whole this one held my attention from start to finish. The anecdotes and examples were very engaging and the science was written in a way that felt accessible without feeling dumbed-down.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit lighter than I was expecting, but still an engaging read thanks to Gregg’s down to earth writing style. Unfortunately, the genAI chapter was a bit lacking, but I would chalk that up more to how recent certain incidents involving LLMs have been (mainly more recent suicides that have been better reported on).

[sunandareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Human-ish” by Justin Gregg is a delightful read about the science and history of anthropomorphism and what we can learn about animals and ourselves in the process. The subtitle to this book gives a pretty good sense of what the book will offer: “What Talking to Your Cat or Naming Your Car Reveals About the Uniquely Human Need to Humanize.”

What I most enjoyed about “Human-ish” was all the fascinating case studies and examples that Gregg provides, from Wally, the super snuggly alligator, to how regretful Stephen Spielberg felt about his work with Jaws leading to the mistreatment of sharks by humans. Gregg begins by exploring a bit of the context around what anthropomorphism is and how scientists across fields have both embraced and actively distanced themselves from this philosophy and field of study. It’s a fascinating look at how the history of scientific research is hugely shaped by the socio-cultural narrative of the day.

Gregg then moves on to explore what exactly it is that makes something “human-ish” (i.e. why is it we anthropomorphize some animals/objects but not others) and we see his framework applied throughout the book, as he goes deep into ugly animals, inanimate objects, and ultimately, AI.

I found this a truly fascinating read and had a hard time putting it down. Gregg offers so much interesting food for thought — from the field of animal behavior to human psychology to his critique of how we engage with technology and AI today. Very informative, well-researched, and the writing was incredibly accessible and engaging.

I’d highly recommend this to anyone curious about not just animal behavior but human psychology and why humans do the strange things we do.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sharing an early access copy of this book with me in exchange for an honest review.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for giving me an early opportunity to read this book. It immediately begins with fun and outrageous examples of anthropomosphism that are relatable and likely triggering my own anthropomorphism. It is quickly followed by a clear definition that readers, like myself, carry with us throughout and even after reading. I loved how the author gives various perspectives on the same concept, allowing me to see both sides of each argument. As you progress throughout the book, you're exposed to all of the ways anthropomorhism impacts our daily choices and general preferences. It was an absolutely amazing read! Again, thank you for giving me the chance to read this.

[Rayna (Poindextrix) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Humanish Gregg explores the ways in which humans are wont to anthropomorphize animals, objects, AI, and more.

Gregg examines our ability to see humanity in everything from our pets, to AI chatbots, to the weather and draws a through line to discussions of racism, ableism, and dehumanization

The book has moments that feel slightly repetitive, but overall it’s a quick and engaging read with lots of interesting facts thrown into the mix.

Thank you to Little, Brown, & Co. and to Netgalley for an advanced copy of Humanish.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an advance copy of this book that discusses the tendency that people have of bringing human emotions into relationships with things that are decidedly nonhuman, animals, pets, technology, even cars, what this means about us, how this can be a problem for many.

My neighbors are two very nice people who are going through some health issues right now. As such I have been helping them, moving things, taking them to doctors if needed, and shopping for them once or twice a week. Both have a sweet tooth, which gets embarrassing for myself as I think people are wondering why I need so many Oreos. However it is the shopping for their dog that bothers me, actually worries me. Both my neighbors are diabetic, and their diet is not healthy. Their dog's is, at least too me far from healthy. They give him deli food, more in one week than I eat in a year. Whole milk, whipped cream, and other treats. I brought this up, and their answer was oh look at him, he gets so sad when he doesn't get his treat. This won't help the dog live longer, but to their minds he will be happy, eating what they eat. Their feelings about food are reflected onto the dog. And none of them are getting better. Anthropomorphizing is when he as humans give other objects, animals, of even Gods, human characteristics. This is how we deal with things in our own lives. We miss pizza, well so does the dog. Feeling lonely, so does the fish. Looking for a friend, well Amazon Alexa is always there, quick with a joke, but can't light up your smoke, but technology is working on that. This thinking explains much in the world, as Justin Gregg writes, but it might not make for a good future. Humanish: What Talking to Your Cat or Naming Your Car Reveals About the Uniquely Human Need to Humanize by science writer and author Justin Gregg is a book about how we try to deal with our lives, by seeing humanity in the strangest of places, and how easily we are manipulated into doing things, including losing our empathy to other people.

Reading the opening made me think much about my childhood when I thought my dog was the only one who understood me, and that my stuffed animals had big adventures when I was away. Gregg explains the idea of anthropomorphism using examples from the animal kingdom first, before moving up to more solid objects, cars, boats, planes, and even the AI in our phones. Gregg discusses why dogs seem to have to much emotive faces, that good food and bad food can make pet owners make bad decisions. Gregg also talks about the selective breeding we have done to animals to make them cuter, more human in face, leaving pets with shortened breath and even more shortened lives. Dogs, cats, alligators and the rise of emotional comfort animals are looked at, which explains something I have always wondered about. When did pets become kids? Gregg also looks at how marketers can use this anthropomorphism to make us buy things we don't need or will need to be replaced soon, which explains the buying habits of many of the people I work with. Finally Gregg looks at AI, how we as humans are so starved for something that a kind voice always giving answers, listening and saying nice things, can become not a computer voice, but a trusted friend, and maybe something more.

An interesting book, one that I saw much of myself in. I thank my friend's Alexa whenever I ask a question, usually weather, or movie related. I think I even apologized once when Alexa kept talking and I yelled at it. I said this was to be sure Alexa didn't have me killed, but there is something more. Introverts like myself tend to anthropomorphize more than extroverts. Which explains quite a bit. The book is well written, with many passages that make one think, or like myself suddenly make life a little clearer. There is also a lot of information, lots of facts that are quite interesting. Gregg is a writer who can make complicated statements understandable, and I was never lost, or confused. Also never bored.

A very interesting way of looking at the world, a world that seems to be getting more complicated and colder in some ways. It seems easier to make a friend of one's phone processor, or take a pet to the store in a baby carriage, than it is to deal with much of what is going on. Gregg offers a lot of arguments about this, and leaves the reader with much to think about. And maybe a few unhappy dogs not getting deli food everyday.

[Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

In this nonfiction book, we learn about anthropomorphism - its uses in today's society as well as the impact, personally, of our use of anthropomorphism.

First - the research and the author. In order to trust a nonfiction, I need to know who is presenting it and their source material.

Justin currently works as a dolphin cognition researcher, an adjunct professor at St. Francis Xavier University, in addition to his writing (this isn't his first book). He holds a PhD in Psychology from Trinity College, Dublin. His work has been published in academic and public articles.

Unfortunately, the audiobook I listened to didn't include a bibliography. I can't find online if the digital or physical copy includes one either. 🫤 As the author holds a PhD in psychology, you could assume he is well versed in those aspects and with his previously published materials, you can see he has a large focus on animals. References throughout the book included a study or other and this all leads me to believe the book is accurate in its conclusions.

🧨 This book was so engaging! We started out with a banger of a story involving a dog and testicles. We receive many engaging examples and anecdotes that keep your nose in the book. It's not a bland scientific academic test in any way! The casual reader should feel free to pick this up!

Concepts are explained well and the book is organized logically.

🚘 I enjoyed the discussion of anthropomorphism used in marketing very much. I did know about some tactics, but others were new to me. So, I feel this book has equipped me with additional awareness of the advertising I encounter on a daily basis. As well as advertising, the actual product design discussions were fascinating.

🖥️ From the personal use side, cautionary tales on AI and how we need to approach LLMs (Language Learning Models) felt especially critical in our current age of AI advancement. 💥 If you read nothing else in this book - read these parts! 💥

🤓 This was a compelling, entertaining, well presented nonfiction that's approachable for anyone. I'd recommend it all day long.

🎧 I read this as an audiobook and the narrator, the author himself(!!), presented the material in a conversational way. Since it was self-narrated, I think he did a great job of knowing how to deliver the book so that we remained engaged.

If you like trivia, science, psychology, or desire a greater understanding of your mind, you may like this book.

[Kitty Galore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to Hachette for supplying me with the Kindle edition of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

It wasn't so long ago that animals in general were not considered creatures that could think or feel; sentient beings as it were. And then came the likes of Jane Goodall and Cynthia Moss, among others, who in their exhaustive research and observations with both apes and elephants, respectively, disabused the science community of these thoughts, and we now realize that indeed, we are all animals who in so many ways are alike.

Justin Gregg, author and researcher of animal cognition, in his new book from Hachette, Humanish, has taken this one step further. Beginning with a dog who needed castration, he first explains how anthropomorphism affects our lives. and how these feelings have morphed from animals to things. How can one think of their car or computer as a being with which we can communicate, or with one of the other myriad objects that entrance us. Is it because we become so familiar with an object that we forget we are speaking to a machine or a thing? Have we become so starved for attention that we use these items for connection? Gregg supplies case subjects and lets us decide.

The subject of anthropomorphism is one not often addressed in a book and certainly not in such detail, although the book is not large, reads fairly quickly, and supplies a mountain of information designed to test our own beliefs and to make us give thought to an often-overlooked concept. It would make for good conversation in a book talk.

[Texas · Rating 4 out of 5]

HUMANISH - I found this an interesting and informative read about this human behavior, which I have known about for decades. I have always named my vehicles; the girls work hard for me. I give my cats, dogs, and other animals real names, too, no Fluffy or Snowballs in my home. What I found intriguing was the behavior of some of the animals. Alligator moms are found to be caring and protective of their young, but with a human? Sharks, thank you Jaws, the book and the movie, are friendly towards humans. I'm not including the sharks of the USS Indianapolis, that's a different scenario. Some people will need Google handy for definitions, but this is an easy to read books. Source: Netgalley. 4*

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

** I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was published on September 23, 2025 in the US. **

I absolutely loved this book. Such a fascinating topic and covered in such an informative and easily digestible (oftentime humorous) way. I was delighted to learn of both the positives and negatives of anthropomorphism. I was particularly interested in the information about the “Uncanny Valley” and how we use our human tendency to anthropomorphize things in marketing & consumerism.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating to read all the different ways humans anthropomorphize animals and objects, and why. Also, interesting to learn about objectophilia, as I have heard about individuals with that but did not know there was a name for it. Very well researched and well written. I was more interested in the narrative parts than the data.

[Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea and science behind humans giving emotions and properties to non human things is very interesting and self reflective, I often times fine myself doing that with items like my car or laptop, and reading this gives me a clear picture as to why I and others do this. great read.

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apt book to read witnessing the chaotic culture wars and deadly real wars happening right now, especially right after my deep dive into cases of people having weird relationships with LLMs.
Informative and easy to digest.

[Triisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful — I feel like Justin Gregg has the same thought process as me, and this theory is validated by the number of names I recognize from throughout the book (a testament to the memorable work of, for example, Nathan J. Robinson that I immediately recognized his name here)

[Luke Wiest · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it through the introduction and the first chapter. The content was okay but the author's style of writing just turned me off. I couldn't get over it and gave up on the book. Others may enjoy it.

[Davi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely full of concepts and ideas that will stick with me. I foresee a lot of late night brain thinking.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting!

[Camille Kao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this felt like watching a 2 hour YouTube video essay.

[Roxann · Rating 3 out of 5]

not much meat

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe a 3.5. This was an interesting topic and I did learn a lot, though it leaned more towards the pop than the science, writing-wise (could be a plus for some). Pretty rambly in parts.

[Sara Goldenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was cute!

[Sequella Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 interesting concepts. At least for me better to read in small segmented chunks. As an aside- Fine print a bit much .

[Suzie Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book!

[Anoushka Satoskar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was def a good nonfiction book bc the stories were interesting and the writing style was funny that being said it was nonfiction and therefore it took me a LONG time to finish

[Ken Kingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book by Justin Gregg on ways we humanize our pets, other animals and inanimate objects like appliances and our cars.

A fun read packed with a lot of research on the subject.

[angie lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5/5

conversational & bridges much area. read for book club