Product Description

An unparalleled exploration of the mysteries underlying women’s sexuality that rivals the culture-shifting Kinsey Report, from two of America’s leading research psychologists

Do women have sex simply to reproduce or display their affection? When University of Texas at Austin clinical psychologist Cindy M. Meston and evolutionary psychologist David M. Buss joined forces to investigate the underlying sexual motivations of women, what they found astonished them.

Through the voices of real women, Meston and Buss reveal the motivations that guide women’s sexual decisions and explain the deep-seated psychology and biology that often unwittingly drive women’s desires—sometimes in pursuit of health or pleasure, or sometimes for darker, disturbing reasons that a woman may not fully recognize. Drawing on more than a thousand intensive interviews conducted solely for the book, as well as their pioneering research on physiological response and evolutionary emotions, Why Women Have Sex uncovers an amazingly complex and nuanced portrait of female sexuality. They delve into the use of sex as a defensive tactic against a mate’s infidelity (protection), as a ploy to boost self-confidence (status), as a barter for gifts or household chores (resource acquisition), or as a cure for a migraine headache (medication).

Why Women Have Sex stands as the richest and deepest psychological understanding of female sexuality yet achieved and promises to inform every woman’s (and her partner’s) awareness of her relationship to sex and her sexuality.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10778 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-29
• Released on: 2009-09-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780805088342
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Bringing together some of the interesting (and some not so interesting) research on women and sex, the author explain how Brown University researchers found that how someone smells is the single most important factor in a woman's choice of lover; Brazilian researchers discovered that women are aroused by men with whom they are genetically compatible. Collating such findings with their own online survey of 1,000 women of diverse backgrounds, the coauthors, psychology professors at the University of Texas at Austin, also discovered that women are sexually motivated by self-confident partners with a good sense of humor. Some women have sex out of feelings of obligation or revenge, to satisfy their curiosity, gain experience and enhance their self-esteem. Sexual activity can also provide health benefits—to relieve migraines and menstrual cramps, reduce the risk of endometriosis and prevent age-related vaginal atrophy. Although solidly researched, this book often treads familiar terrain and comes to fairly obvious conclusions. such as that women have sex to give or get love or a feeling of emotional connection and to enjoy the sensations of sexual arousal and orgasm. (Oct.)
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Review

About the Author

Cindy M. Meston is one of the world’s leading researchers on women’s sexuality and a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, where she directs the Sexual Psychophysiology Laboratory, a cutting-edge lab on women’s sexual experience. David M. Buss, one of the founders of the field of evolutionary psychology, is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and is the author of several books, including The Evolution of Desire and The Dangerous Passion. Their jointly authored article, “Why Humans Have Sex,” garnered international attention when it was published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior. 

Customer Reviews

Tame for this author
I love David Buss, who I consider one of the fathers of evolutionary psychology (EP). This, though, is not one of his best. Basically, he gives an EP gloss to what seems to be a Shere-Hite-like survey of sexual behavior.

There was very little that was new here. If you've never been exposed to EP before, you'll love it. If you have, though ... That said, it is a good compilation of all the research on a particular topic. There are some good monographs like this one out there these days - Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior, The Murderer Next Door: Why the Mind Is Designed to Kill, etc.

One thing that I did not like at all about this book was the emphasis on research subjects who are college students. Every little blurb seemed to be from a female age 19, 23, 21, 25, 20, etc. Very typical of academic research. It just doesn't fit the subject matter for this one though. There's a lot to learn about sex after college. ;^)

Must Read
This book is a virtual roadmap to enhanced intimacy. Finally, a book with all the things my mother should have told me (or told me incorrectly!) with the science behind it. I found it to be fascinatingly informative and at the same time, an enjoyable read owing to the authors' somewhat humorous and unorthodox approach to the topic. It's a book my husband would never buy for himself since he thinks he already knows everything on the subject, and yet, every time I put it down, I later found him "just thumbing through it" so hint: buy two copies if you want one just for yourself. Even though we haven't discussed the book, the subtle, but important changes in our overall relationship have been gratifying to both of us. I would highly recommend this book to every couple, both married and unmarried, and everyone otherwise needing to have an appreciation of feminine sexuality.

Interesting, thought provoking
Very interesting book, in part because of the references. It covers a lot of ground, and mentions a number of studies, so that if you run across one that is of particular interest, you can go find it. That way you don't get bogged down reading about the areas that are not of much interest. Much of it may be things you've already thought about, but there are sure to be some "motive" that haven't crossed your mind, and when you read those, it will make you think, "Oh, yeah, that's why she did that." Of course, I'm reading from a male point of view- women may see it differently.