Books by Subject

Reproductive Strategies

The Dangerous Passion : Why Jealousy Is As Necessary As Love and Sex
 by David M. Buss, PhD

Hardcover - 258 pages (February 2000)
Free Press; ISBN: 0684850818 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.95 x 9.54 x 6.50

Book Description
 Why do men and women cheat on each other? How do men really feel when their partners have sex with other men? What worries women more -- men who turn to other women for love or men who simply want sexual variety in their lives? Can the jealousy husbands and wives experience over real or imagined infidelities be cured? Should it be? In this surprising and engaging exploration of men's and women's darker passions, David Buss, acclaimed author of The Evolution of Desire, reveals that both men and women are actually designed for jealousy. Drawing on experiments, surveys, and interviews conducted in thirty-seven countries on six continents, as well as insights from recent discoveries in biology, anthropology, and psychology, Buss discovers that the evolutionary origins of our sexual desires still shape our passions today.

According to Buss, more men than women want to have sex with multiple partners. Furthermore, women who cheat on their husbands do so when they are most likely to conceive, but have sex with their spouses when they are least likely to conceive. These findings show that evolutionary tendencies to acquire better genes through different partners still lurk beneath modern sexual behavior. To counteract these desires to stray -- and to strengthen the bonds between partners -- jealousy evolved as an early detection system of infidelity in the ancient and mysterious ritual of mating.

Buss takes us on a fascinating journey through many cultures, from pre-historic to the present, to show the profound evolutionary effect jealousy has had on all of us. Only with a healthy balance of jealousy and trust can we be certain of a mate's commitment, devotion, and true love.
Hardcover - 288 pages (February 2000)
Free Press; ISBN: 0684850818
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Love and Limerence : The Experience of Being in Love
by Dorothy Tennov


Paperback - 357 pages 2nd edition (January 1999)
Scarborough House; ISBN: 0812862864 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.77 x 8.96 x 5.94
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Survival of the Prettiest : The Science of Beauty
by Nancy L. Etcoff
Hardcover - 288 pages 1 Ed edition (February 16, 1999)
Doubleday; ISBN: 0385478542 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.13 x 9.56 x 6.50

Reviews
Amazon.com
In the latter part of the 20th century, the adage "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" has evolved far beyond its original intent as an admonition against false vanity to become a cultural manifesto used to explain phenomena as diverse as the art of Andy Warhol and the rise of a multi-billion-dollar cosmetics industry. But is there something more to human reaction to beauty than a conditioned response to social cues? Yes, says Harvard Medical School psychologist Nancy Etcoff. Survival of the Prettiest argues persuasively that looking good has survival value, and that sensitivity to beauty is a biological adaptation governed by brain circuits shaped by natural selection.

Etcoff synthesizes a fascinating array of scientific research and cultural analysis in support of her thesis. Psychologists find that babies stare significantly longer at the faces adults find appealing, while the mothers of "attractive" babies display more intense bonding behaviors. The symmetrical face of average proportions may have become the optimal design because of evolutionary pressures operating against population extremes. Gentlemen may prefer blondes not so much for their hair color as for the fairness of their skin--which makes it easier to detect the flush of sexual excitement. And high heels accentuate a woman's breasts and buttocks, signaling fertility. Is beauty programmed into our brain circuits as a proxy for health and youth? In marked contrast to other writers like Naomi Wolf (The Beauty Myth), Etcoff argues that it is, noting, "Rather than denigrate one source of women's power, it would seem far more useful for feminists to attempt to elevate all sources of women's power." --Patrizia DiLucchio
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Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Reproductive Behavior (Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, V. 907)
by Dori Lecroy (Editor), Peter Moller (Editor)

Paperback (May 2000)
New York Academy of Sciences; ISBN: 157331254


Other Editions: Hardcover

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Reproduction in Context : Social and Environmental Influences on Reproductive Physiology and Behavior
by Kim Wallen (Editor), Jill E. Schneider (Editor)

Hardcover - 472 pages (December 1999)
Mit Pr; ISBN: 0262232049 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.40 x 9.27 x 7.29

Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Historically, reproductive science has focused on reproductive behaviors divorced from the contexts in which they occur. Taking a more integrated view, this book explores the neuroendocrine bases of reproduction in relation to their environmental and social contexts. The contributors provide compelling accounts of reproductive behaviors in animals ranging from turtles and lizards to humans and nonhuman primates. They examine these behaviors from the perspectives of ethology, endocrinology, behavioral genetics, and evolutionary ecology. Together, they illuminate the dynamic interplay between the ecological and social contexts of a species and the biological mechanisms regulating reproductive behavior. The book shows how an appreciation of the full complexity of the context of reproduction actually simplifies and clarifies our understanding of reproductive behavior.

Contributors: Gregory F. Ball, George E. Bentley, Franklin H. Bronson, David Crews, Jeffrey A. French, Michael R. Gorman, Kay E. Holecamp, Jerry D. Jacobs, Sabra L. Klein, Theresa M. Lee, Donna L. Maney, Martha K. McClintock, Simone Meddle, Randy J. Nelson, Nicole Perfito, Emilie F. Rissman, Colleen M. Schafner, Patricia A. Schiml, Jill E. Schneider, Rae Silver, Ann-Judith Silverman, Laura Smale, Kira Soma, Jennifer M. Swann, Anthony D. Tramontin, George N. Wade, Kim Wallen, Scott R. Wersinger, John C. Wingfield, Ruth I. Wood.

"Historically, reproductive science has focused on reproductive behaviors divorced from the contexts in which they occur. Taking a more integrated view, this book explores the neuroendocrine bases of reproduction in relation to their environmental and social contexts."--BOOK JACKET.

About the Author
Kim Wallen is Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroendocrinology at Emory University and associate editor of the journal Hormones and Behavior. Jill E. Schneider is Lehigh Class of 1961 Distinguished Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Lehigh University.
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Langurs of Abu: Female and Male Strategies of Reproduction

By Sarah Blaffer Hrdy

Paperback
Harvard University Press, Sept. 1980
ISBN: 0674510585

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