*TCG*Cindy M. Meston and David M. Buss – Why Women Have Sex

The book was recommended by Vin Dicarlo in his DSP series. From Publishers WeeklyBringing 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.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Review“Occasionally poetic, always candid. The book is filled with insights with which to start conversations.”—Psychology Today “Why Women Have Sex is an endlessly well informed and irresistibly readable book. The candor of the women’s responses and the authors’ knowledge of all that has been happening in the world of sex research for the past few decades combine to make it the most fascinating and illuminating look at female sexuality since Kinsey’s Sexual Behavior in the Human Female.”—Mary Roach, author of Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex “What an excellent book! You will come away from reading Why Women Have Sex with a better understanding of what turns women on or off, the physiology underlying desire and arousal, the likely consequences when sex is undertaken to thwart or titillate a partner, and the complexity of sexual desire. There is not much more one can ask for—to be at once enlightened and entertained by two trustworthy and sympathetic experts.”—Sandra R. Leiblum Ph.D., author of Getting the Sex You Want “Why Women Have Sex is full of fascinating research that will help everyone better understand and appreciate their sexual selves.”—Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of The Secret Pleasures of Menopause and The Wisdom of Menopause “Why Women Have Sex is a captivating tour of what psychology and biology can tell us about women’s sexual motivation. Meston and Buss are first-rate scientists and skilled writers who actually answer the question that everyone was afraid to ask.”—Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology, Harvard University, and author of Stumbling on Happiness