The Chemistry Between Us: Love, Sex, And The Science Of Attraction (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Once every few years a book comes along that summarizes all the relevant science in a field so that the lay person can absorb and evaluate it. This is one of those books. It should stand along side The Myth of Monogamy, and Sex at Dawn on your book shelf. It is great to be living in a time where some of the most profound mysteries of life and humanity are giving themselves up to science. And the science is getting better and better very rapidly. Once, we learned the earth was round, it is not the center of the universe, that evolution is the driving force in life, that humans are not the center of the cosmos. It should come as no surprise that our antiquated notions of love and romance hold little water when examined in the light of genetics and biology. I know it is not very romantic, but as we move into an age where we gain understanding, even of our own neurology and biology, we need to move beyond notions about relationships and romance formed through religious indoctrination and cultural control. As a life long student of human sexuality, I welcome science into this discussion and I think any reader who seeks to understand nature and in particular, our nature, will find this book a refreshing and informative read. As the host of the Secular Sexuality Podcast and author of Sex and God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality, I refer to this book frequently and recommend it to my listeners. If you are interested in the latest science regarding sex and love, this is the book to read. If you are interested in religious dogma and ancient romantic ideas, this book will not be a pleasant experience. Dr. Darrel Ray, host of The Secular Sexuality Podcast How much of love is purely a hormonal, chemical reaction? And how much of staying in love is more of the same? Larry Young outlines the studies of lab animals (some his own) and of people that attempt to answer these questions -- and ultimately concludes that hormones have more of a role than most people might imagine. This book is strongest when it is explaining the science. It's also entertainingly written. It's weakest when it occasionally tries to get too cute with the entertaining writing as well as when Young makes less-than-well-reasoned extrapolations about philosophy or politics stemming from the studies.
What do You think about The Chemistry Between Us: Love, Sex, And The Science Of Attraction (2012)?
would not finish it if its not for the class.I am pretty sure I am not rat.
—Saph
