Books By Rachel Herz

Rachel Herz, 2012

Why do we watch horror movies? What is the best way to persuade someone to quit smoking? And what on earth is the appeal of competitive hotdog eating? In this book, I explore these questions and examine a wide range of human predilections, from food preferences and sexual attraction to moral codes and political ideology. A surprisingly informative yet underrated emotion, disgust as I reveal, is an emotion of “meaning” shaped by our perception and experiences and constantly in flux. By understanding disgust, we can learn more about the things that are most central to our lives: love, hate, fear, empathy, prejudice, humor, and happiness.

Rachel Herz, 2017

In this book, I explore the inner and outer workings of what shapes and influences what we eat and our personal relationship with food. Combining anecdotes with coherent science, I explain the complex recipe of how our senses, our social environment, our beliefs, our brain, and the world around us influence what we buy, how much we consume, and even how many calories we burn. In addition to shining a light on the myriad and hidden forces that constantly affect our eating behaviors, I offer tips on how to augment the eating experience if one suffers from sensory deficits, is struggling with a child who is an excessively picky eater, wants to curb unwanted cravings and live more sustainably. My hope with this book is to equip the eater with knowledge that gives them power over their relationship with food and an enlightened view of themselves and the world around them.

Rachel Herz, 2009

My first popular science book, written before COVID and any public awareness on smell loss, was inspired by my first experience as an expert witness for someone who had lost her sense of smell in a car accident and what I learned about the devastating and profound changes to life that can ensue. The Scent of Desire is an in-depth and expansive exploration of the biology, psychology, and culture of the sense of smell and showcases how scent is critical to our lives, from nourishment to procreation to our relationships with other people and the world at large. My intention with this book is to inspire everyone to realize the essentiality, importance, and meaningfulness of scent.