What makes us tick and what ticks us off
The researcher and bestselling author of Your Brain at Work delivers a powerful, neuroscience-backed guide that explains the five domains of social motivation that underpin and drive all human behavior.
Learning the skills we need to relate effectively and joyfully is the essential human project. In this terrific new book, David Rock shows us how to do it, in detailed, actionable ways.
The future needs SCARF® to make neuroscience practical, with zest.
Most books explain human behavior. Good with Humans lets you watch it—one family, one week, two completely different outcomes. It’s the most practical translation of neuroscience into everyday life I’ve read.
Leveraging breakthroughs in neuroscience, David Rock has developed an indispensable leadership guide for the AI era. In Good with Humans, Rock offers practical tools that can help ambitious leaders optimize their brainpower to raise their game.
What David has created is a gift—a treasure trove of insights that will help you make sense of the dynamics of being human, both personally and professionally. SCARF® is not just a framework; it is a lens that unlocks a deeper understanding of yourself and others—helping you lead better, relate better, and live better.
Anyone interacting with other humans (that’s everyone) will find this book a codex for better personal awareness, interpersonal connection, and social flourishing. Captured with stories, grounded in research, encouraging reflections, these SCARF® insights will lead to improved quality of life. Neurointelligence leads to being ‘good with humans.’
In an era dominated by digital transformation and AI, the ultimate competitive advantage is understanding what drives human behavior. Good with Humans provides a brilliant, science-backed road map for decoding our daily interactions, minimizing workplace friction, and building truly cohesive teams. This is a must-read for any leader looking to elevate their neurointelligence and connect on a deeper level.
Dr. David Rock
Dr. David Rock is a global thought leader in the world of work, leading pioneering work integrating neuroscience into leadership and organisational change.
He is the author of five books, including the bestseller Your Brain at Work.
He is the co-founder and CEO of the Neuroleadership Institute, a cognitive science consultancy that has advised over two-thirds of the Fortune 100 and impacted over 20 million people since 1998. He lives between Miami and New York City.
Good with Humans
Drawing on the groundbreaking SCARF® model—encompassing Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness—Rock uses personal interactions with others as a springboard for explaining how our brains work in social situations.
While all five domains are relevant to everyone, each might be more or less important, individually influencing how we respond to situations and engage with others.
Yet SCARF® isn’t just about what drives us. It’s also a way of understanding what drives our interactions with others when they go well, and when they don’t. Most importantly, it can show us how to meaningfully improve these interactions in real time, or even ahead of time. The outcome is a breakthrough in how we operate with others in all realms of our lives: at work, at home, and beyond.
With the rise of AI, interpersonal skills are more important than ever. Good with Humans is the guide we need today to teach us the skills we will need tomorrow.
The SCARF® Model
For nearly two decades, the SCARF® Model has served as a leadership guide for understanding human behavior in the workplace. Since Dr. David Rock first introduced the framework in 2008, it has provided a neuroscientific lens for understanding human interaction.
Five social drivers—Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness—trigger the same "approach" or "avoid" responses in the brain as primary survival needs like food or physical safety.
S
C
A
R
F
