How Sex Works: Why We Look, Smell, Taste, Feel, and Act the Way We Do

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Harper Collins, Apr 28, 2009 - Family & Relationships - 274 pages

Why are women biologically driven to find Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome?
Can more sex help ensure a safe pregnancy?
What effect does pornography have on a man's fertility?

In this compelling follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Survival of the Sickest, Dr. Sharon Moalem takes us on a trip from prehistory to the forefront of cutting-edge medical research, and through a bedroom or two, to tell the story of how human sexuality has developed over time. How Sex Works challenges common perceptions about our bodies and provides astonishing discoveries from the frontiers of science as it traces the transformation of sex across species and through time to its current role in human societies.

Find out the answers to such provocative questions as:

  • Can the birth control pill influence the type of men women are attracted to?
  • What do men and honeybees have in common when it comes to sex?
  • Why do hourglass-shaped women tend to be especially fertile?
  • When are women most likely to cheat?
  • Can twins have different fathers?

From the composition and function of human sex organs to the fascinating biochemistry behind sexual attraction, How Sex Works presents captivating new ideas and surprising answers to questions about contraception, fertility, circumcision, menopause, STDs, homosexuality, orgasms, and more. This is an entertaining, comprehensive exploration of culture, biology, and history that takes us far beyond our common understanding of sex.

 

Contents

Girls Just Want to Have Fun
1
Im So Excited and I Just 7
7
Cant Hide
71
Lets Talk About Sex
105
Tainted Love
171
Jagged Little Pill
195
Good Vibrations
225
Notes
231
Come as You Are 13 9
252
Acknowledgments
261
Index
263
Copyright

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About the author (2009)

Dr. Sharon Moalem is an award-winning neurologist and evolutionary biologist, with a PhD in human physiology. His research brings evolution, genetics, biology, and medicine together to explain how the body works in new and fascinating ways. He and his work have been featured on CNN, in the New York Times, on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, on Today, and in magazines such as New Scientist, Elle, and Martha Stewart's Body + Soul. Dr. Moalem's first book was the New York Times bestseller Survival of the Sickest. He lives in New York City.