Attraction, Love, Sex
The Inside Story
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- 22,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
Sex, after hunger, may be the most powerful motivating force in our lives. It drives us to seek intimate contact with others and to form relationships that may be fleeting or lifelong, blissful or troubled. Yet many mysteries surround sex and sexuality: Why don’t we reproduce by virgin birth? Why does so much of our sexual behavior have nothing to do with reproduction? Why isn’t everyone heterosexual? How does the brain create sexual arousal? How do sexual kinks develop? Is porn harmful? What is the relationship between sex and love?
In Attraction, Love, Sex, the renowned scholar Simon LeVay introduces readers to a memorable cast of researchers trying to answer these questions and many more. A biologist dredges a New Zealand lake for asexual mud snails. Psychologists measure whether eating a good meal changes a man’s idea of female beauty. Physiologists probe orifices with miniature toilet plungers and place lovers in brain scanners. Geneticists reconstruct the sex crimes of Genghis Khan. Neuroscientists create mice whose sexual behavior can be switched on and off. A zoologist traps and releases 260,000 voles and launches a new science of love.
LeVay distills vast expertise on the biology and psychology of sex into an engaging and easy-to-understand survey with scientific acumen, a critical eye, and a sense of humor. This book reveals how scientists are unraveling the secrets of sex and, in the process, shattering many traditional ideas and prejudices.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Why have sex?" asks neuroscientist LeVay (Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why) in this stimulating survey of the science of sexual desire. Admitting that there's no simple answer, he explores the perspectives and research of neuroscientists, evolutionary biologists, and sociologists on why people are attracted to who they're attracted to. Studies push back on common assumptions; for instance, LeVay notes there's little evidence for the belief that men have more sexual kinks than women, who, according to a 2022 study, act on their kinks more privately than men. Other research baffles, such as the study that suggested hungry heterosexual men are more likely than men who are full to find women with high BMIs attractive. LeVay explores theories on sexual orientation and concludes that it "can be best understood in terms of biological processes," specifically the way in which sex hormones affect the brain during prenatal development. Some will bristle at LeVay's more provocative claims, as when his biological view of sexual orientation leads him to argue that because pedophiles can't be "cured," pedophiles "who have committed themselves not to offend sexually against children... deserve admiration and support" in trying to cope with desires that cause harm. Nonetheless, LeVay's evenhanded approach carefully outlines uncertainties in the scientific literature while serving up surprising findings. Though there are some controversial points, this nonetheless sheds light on a fundamental part of human life.
