Why Is Sex Fun?: The Evolution of Human Sexuality

The Evolution of Human Sexuality

Author: Jared Diamond Series: Science Masters

Why do humans differ in sexuality from close animal relatives and ancestors? Jared Diamond explores the evolutionary forces that gave shape to human sexual distinctions and shows how they contributed to what it means to be uniquely human.

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To us humans the sex lives of many animals seem weird. In fact, by comparison with all the other animals, we are the ones with the weird sex lives. How did that come to be?Just count our bizarre ways. We are the only social species to insist on carrying out sex privately. Stranger yet, we have sex at any time, even when the female cant be fertilized (for example, because she is already pregnant, post-menopausal, or between fertile cycles). A human female doesnt know her precise time of fertility and certainly doesnt advertise it to human males by the striking color changes, smells, and sounds used by other female mammals. Why do we differ so radically in these and other important aspects of our sexuality from our closest ancestor, the apes? Why does the human female, virtually alone among mammals go through menopause? Why does the human male stand out as one of the few mammals to stay (often or usually) with the female he impregnates, to help raise the children that he sired? Why is the human penis so unnecessarily large?There is no one better qualified than Jared Diamondrenowned expert in the fields of physiology and evolutionary biology and award-winning authorto explain the evolutionary forces that operated on our ancestors to make us sexually different.With wit and a wealth of fascinating examples, he explains how our sexuality has been as crucial as our large brains and upright posture in our rise to human status.

Critic Reviews

“"The best book on the subject I've read....Fascinating reading for anyone curious about why lovers do what they do."-- Diane Ackerman, author of A Natural History of the Senses”

"A humorous, wide-ranging look at the evolution of human sexuality."--Chicago Tribune
"An engaging display of evolution's hidden logic."--Los Angeles Times
"Guaranteed to keep a potential partner amused."--New York Review of Books
"The best book on the subject I've read....Fascinating reading for anyone curious about why lovers do what they do."--Diane Ackerman, author of A Natural History of the Senses